Texas suspends Chris Beard after arrest, names interim coach
Following his early Monday morning arrest, Texas head basketball coach Chris Beard has been indefinitely suspended by the school. Associate head coach Rodney Terry has been tabbed as Texas’ interim coach for the time being. The Longhorns are slated to face Rice at the Moody Center in Austin, Tex., at 7 p.m. CT tonight.
A police report states that the Austin Police Department received a 9-1-1 call at approximately 12:15 a.m. on Monday. The caller reported a disturbance was no longer ongoing and one individual involved in the disturbance had left the house. When police arrived, a woman stated she had been assaulted and strangled by Beard. The woman has not yet been identified by the police.
CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander says that Beard has seen a magistrate judge in Austin municipal court, with bail set at $10,000, according to official court records. Beard has since posted that bail and left the jail.
Reports began to leak early on Monday morning of Beard’s arrest and were confirmed later by records from the Travis County Sherriff’s Office. Beard was arrested at 4:18 a.m. on Monday for Assault on a family/household member. The report also stated that he was impeded breath circulation to the individual. Austin Police were responding to a “disturbance hot shot,” at 12:15 a.m., CBS Sports later learned. Texas then released a statement in response to the news.
“The University is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard,” the statement read. “We are continuing to gather information and monitoring the legal process.”
It is currently unclear just how long Beard will be away from the team. His absence could have a negative impact on the team’s performance as well, as the Longhorns are off to an impressive start this year under Beard’s leadership.
The Longhorns are nearing the end of their nonconference slate and gearing up for Big 12 play. Texas is currently 7-1 overall with two wins over top 10 teams. Big 12 play will start for Texas on Dec. 31 but not before Texas plays four more nonconference games. The Longhorns face Rice, Stanford, Louisiana and Texas A&M-Commerce before opening the league slate up against their rival Oklahoma Sooners on New Year’s Eve.
Texas is hoping that this season is another significant step in the turnaround under Beard. Last year, the Longhorns went 22-12 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Beard’s first year. After going as far as the national championship during his Texas Tech tenure, expectations are high for Beard to take his alma mater to the next level.