Texas suspends head coach Beard following arrest
Chris Beard, who coached Texas Tech to the 2019 NCAA championship game and was hired away by Texas with expectations he’d elevate his alma mater to the same elite level, was arrested early Monday on a felony family violence charge after a woman told police he strangled and bit her.
The school suspended Beard without pay “until further notice.”
Assistant Rodney Terry served as acting head coach Monday night in an 87-81 overtime win by the No. 7 Longhorns (8-2) over visiting Rice (6-4), a victory led by Marcus Carr’s 28 points.
Beard was arrested by Austin police and booked at the Travis County jail at 4:18 a.m. on a charge of assault on a family or household member in which their breath was impeded. The charge is a third-degree felony in Texas, with a possible punishment of two to 10 years in prison.
According to the arrest affidavit first reported by the Austin AmericanStatesman, the woman told police she is his fiance and they have been in a relationship for six years. She said
Beard they had been in an argument where she broke his glasses before he “just snapped on me and became super violent.”
According to the affidavit, the woman told police “he choked me, bit me, bruises all over my leg, throwing me around and going nuts.”
She told police Beard choked her from behind with his arm around her neck and she couldn’t breathe for about five seconds. Police say she had a bite mark on her right arm and an abrasion to her right temple among other visible injuries.
When questioned by police, Beard said he had audio recordings that would show he was not the primary aggressor.
Beard went before a magistrate judge for his bond hearing.
Jail records show Beard posted $10,000 bond.
His attorney Perry Minton earlier told the American-Statesman the coach is innocent.
“He should never have been arrested,” Minton told the newspaper. “The complainant wants him released immediately and all charges dismissed.”
Beard is in his second season of a seven-year guaranteed contract that pays him more than $5 million per year. Before that, he was 112-55 in five seasons with the Red Raiders.
Purdue is new No. 1
Purdue picked up wins over West Virginia, No. 15 Gonzaga and No. 12 Duke in consecutive weeks to win the Phil Knight Legacy tournament earlier in the season.
Wins over Hofstra and Nebraska last week, combined with a loss by top-ranked Houston, were enough to move the Boilermakers to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the second straight season.
Purdue moved up three spots in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll released on Monday, receiving 27 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel. No. 2 Virginia received 19 first-place votes to move up a spot, No. 3 Connecticut received 15 and No. 6 Tennessee also got one.
Alabama and Houston rounded out the top five.
Purdue (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten), unranked in the preseason, was No. 4 last week.
The Boilermakers hope this run at No. 1 will last longer than their last one. Purdue went to No. 1 for the first time in school history in Week 4 last season and promptly lost to Rutgers.