University of Texas head men’s basketball coach Chris Beard was arrested and charged with assault on a family member early Monday, Austin police have confirmed.
Beard was booked into jail at 4:18 a.m. Monday, according to the Travis County sheriff’s office jail records. Beard, 49, faces a third-degree felony charge of assault on a family/household member-impede breath circulation.
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. Monday.
Beard was still in jail as of 9 a.m. Monday with no bail amount set, according to online jail records.
UT released a brief statement on the arrest, saying “the university is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard. We are continuing to gather information and monitoring the legal process.”
Beard, 49, is in his second year at Texas. Before replacing Shaka Smart in 2021, Beard spent five seasons at Texas Tech and led the Red Raiders to the NCAA championship game in 2019. 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, Beard received a seven-year contract with an annual salary of $5 million. Beard’s No. 2-ranked Longhorns (7-1) are scheduled to host Rice Monday night at Moody Center. Texas last played on Saturday, an 88-43 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Texas has not yet announced if Beard will coach tonight.
