UT basketball coach Beard arrested, accused of assaulting family member

Texas men’s basketball head coach Chris Beard was arrested early Monday and is facing a charge of assault on a a family member.

Beard, 49, is accused of strangling someone inside a home in Austin, according to police. He faces a third-degree felony charge of assault on a family/ household member — impede breath circulation.

Officers responded to a 911 call about 12:15 a.m. Monday, police said, and Beard was booked into Travis County Jail at 4:18 a.m., according to the sheriff’s office. Jail records show Beard posted $10,000 bond. He was released midafternoon Monday.

“Coach Beard is 100% innocent of these charges,” Beard’s attorney, Perry Minton, told KEYE-TV, the Austin CBS affiliate, in a statement. “He should have never been arrested. The complainant wants him released immediately and all charges dismissed. It is truly inconceivable.”

A University of Texas spokesperson released a statement that did not offer information about Beard’s status with the team.

“The University is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard. We are continuing to gather information and monitoring the legal process.”

After five seasons at Texas Tech, Beard became the head coach of the Texas Longhorns, his alma mater, in 2021. He has a 29-13 record in two seasons and has led the Longhorns to 7-1 with wins over three ranked teams — Gonzaga, Arkansas and Creighton. Texas was ranked No. 2 in the country, though the Longhorns dropped to No. 7 in the latest poll after the team fell to Illinois last week, its first loss of the season.

Texas was set to play Rice at 7 p.m. Monday at the Moody Center in Austin.

Beard started his Division I head coaching career in 2015 at Arkansas-little Rock, which he guided to a 30-5 record, including a first-round NCAA Tournament upset of Purdue. UNLV hired him to take over its program in March 2016, but that hiring lasted just 19 days. Then Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith unexpectedly left the school for another job, and Texas Tech, where Beard had spent 10 years as an assistant, promptly poached Beard..

Within three years, Beard had taken Texas Tech to the national title game in 2019.

Despite losing to Virginia 85-77 in overtime, Beard had certified himself as one of the nation’s most talked-about coaches. When Texas and former coach Shaka Smart parted ways in 2021, Beard was the clear target.

He signed a seven-year, $35 million contract with Texas — a Big 12 conference rival.

Beard finished his first season with Texas at 22-12. After the Longhorns secured a top-six recruiting class and multiple transfers, expectations were high for this season.

“Coach Beard is 100% innocent of these charges. He should have never been arrested. The complainant wants him released immediately and all charges dismissed. It is truly inconceivable.”

Perry Minton, attorney for Texas basketball coach Chris Beard, in a statement to KEYETV in Austin