Texas men's basketball coach Chris Beard suspended without pay after assault arrest

University of Texas men's basketball head coach Chris Beard was arrested and charged with assault on a family member early Monday. He was released after posting a $10,000 bond.

The second-year Longhorns coach has been suspended by Texas without pay "until further notice," according to a statement. Associate head coach Rodney Terry will serve as the Longhorns' head coach for Monday night's game against Rice.

Austin police spokesman Brandon Jones said Beard is accused of choking a person at a home in the Tarrytown neighborhood in West Austin. Officers responded to a 911 "disturbance-urgent" call at 2:07 a.m. CT Monday.

Beard was booked into jail at 4:18 a.m. CT, according to the Travis County (Texas) sheriff's office jail records. He faces a third-degree felony charge of assault on a family/household member impeding breath circulation.

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Texas released a brief statement on the arrest in the morning, saying, "The university is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard. We are continuing to gather information and monitoring the legal process."

Beard's attorney, Perry Minton, told the Austin American-Statesman: “Coach Beard is 100% innocent of these charges. He should never have been arrested. The complainant wants him released immediately and all charges dismissed.  It is truly inconceivable.”

According to Beard's affidavit, an officer responded to a 911 call at just after midnight and was met at the door by a woman who identified herself as Beard's fiancée. The woman told the officer that she and Beard had been upset with each other for several days over relationship issues. Asked by the officer if the argument turned physical, the woman, according to police, said yes.

"He just snapped on me and became super violent," she said, according to the affidavit.

The woman said she took Beard's reading glasses from his hand and broke them. Beard, she told police, then slapped her glasses from her face. 

Then Beard, "choked me, threw me off the bed, bit me, bruises all over  my leg, throwing me around, and going nuts" she said, according to the affidavit.

The woman told police that Beard put an arm around her neck while he was behind her and choked her for five seconds, impeding her breathing.

Beard, while police were on scene, said he had audio recordings of the incident that show he was not the primary aggressor. Police say Beard was not willing to share the recordings.

The following injuries were visible on the woman, according to the affidavit: bite mark to the right forearm, abrasion to the right eyebrow, abrasion to the left leg from the knee to the foot, and a cut to the left thumb with dried blood. In an additional statement, the woman complained of scratches on her back and her right eye, a bite mark to her right arm, an abrasion and bruises to her left leg, and a cut to her left hand.

Beard and the woman have been together for six years and engaged for three years, according to the affidavit. They share the same residence.

Beard, 49, is in his second year at Texas. Before replacing Shaka Smart in 2021, he spent five seasons at Texas Tech and led the Red Raiders to the 2019 NCAA championship game. Beard, who has also coached at Fort Scott Community College, Seminole State College, McMurry University, Angelo State and Arkansas-Little Rock, is a 1995 Texas graduate.

When he was hired at Texas in 2021, Beard received a seven-year contract with an annual salary of $5 million.

A clause in the contract allows the university to terminate or suspend Beard with cause for "Any conduct (a) that the University administration reasonably determines is clearly unbecoming to a Head Coach and reflects poorly on the University, the Program, or The University of Texas System; or (b) resulting in a criminal charge being brought against Head Coach involving a felony, or any crime involving theft, dishonesty, or moral turpitude."

It is a standard clause in Texas coaching contracts.

Beard's No. 8-ranked Longhorns (7-1) last played on Saturday, beating Arkansas-Pine Bluff 88-43. 

Terry, who is in his second stint as a Longhorns assistant, has previously been a head coach at UTEP (2018-21) and Fresno State (2011-18). He first coached at Texas from 2002-11 on former coach Rick Barnes' staff. Beard's staff also includes assistant coaches Brandon Chappell and Bob Donewald Jr. And Chris Ogden, who serves as the team's managing director, was the head coach at Texas-Arlington from 2018-21.