University of Texas men’s basketball head coach arrested and charged with felony assault
Texas head coach Chris Beard looks on during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas Rio Grande Valley on November 26
By Wayne Sterling and Matt Phillips, CNN
University of Texas at Austin men’s basketball head coach Chris Beard was arrested and charged with a third-degree felony assault on Monday.
Officers responded to a “disturbance” on the 1900 block of Vista Lane at 12:15 a.m. local time and Beard was arrested, according to Austin Police Department.
Beard was charged with an assault on a family or household member by impeding breath circulation and booked in Travis County Jail at 5:18 a.m., according to the county sheriff’s office’s website.
CNN has reached out to Beard’s legal representation for comment.
“The University is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard. We are continuing to gather information and monitoring the legal process,” Texas Athletics said in a statement to CNN.
The university announced Monday night that Beard was suspended following his arrest.
“The University takes matters of interpersonal violence involving members of its community seriously,” the statement read. “Given the information available, The University has suspended Chris Beard from his position as head coach of Men’s Basketball and will withhold his pay until further notice. Associate Head Coach Rodney Terry will serve as acting head coach for tonight’s game against Rice.”
The 7-1 Longhorns, ranked No. 7, play the Rice University Owls Monday night in Austin.
Beard is in his second season at the helm at Texas. Last season, he led the team to a 22-12 record and an NCAA tournament berth.
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CNN’s Wayne Sterling, Jill Martin and Amir Vera contributed to this report.
