Texas basketball coach Chris Beard, 49, was arrested early Monday morning allegedly strangled a person in a residence. Beard was booked at 4:18 a.m. CT at the Travis County Sheriff’s Office seeking a third-degree assault charge, according to police records.
Police responded to a 9-1-1 call, defined as “incidents that are in progress and pose an imminent threat to life and/or public safety (i.e. shootings, stabbings, rapes, riots). These calls are sent immediately.”
The Austin Police Department issued this release Monday afternoon regarding Beard’s arrest: “On December 12, 2022, at approximately 12:15 a.m., the Austin Police Department (APD) received a 9-1-1 call for a disturbance in the 1900 block of “Vista Lane. The caller reported that the disturbance was no longer in progress and that one of the persons had left the house. APD officers responded and found a woman who stated she had been assaulted and strangled by Christopher Michael Beard. Beard was booked in the Travis County Jail. He is charged with assault by strangulation/suffocation – domestic violence, a third-degree misdemeanor.”
Beard, who is still in police custody, appeared before a magistrate Monday afternoon in Austin Municipal Court and was posted $10,000 bail, according to official court records.
The No. 7 Longhorns are scheduled to play Rice at home on Monday at 8 PM ET.
“The university is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard,” a Texas spokesperson said in a statement. “We will continue to gather information and monitor the legal process.”
Texas has yet to make a statement on who will coach the team Monday night.
Texas poached Beard from Big 12 rival Texas Tech in 2021. With the Red Raiders, and during his brief stint with Little Rock, Beard rocketed himself to the upper echelons of the coaching ranks as one of the sport’s rising stars. Beard went 30-5 in one season at Little Rock, advancing to the NCAA Tournament, before spending five seasons at Texas Tech, where he went 112-55 and competed for the 2019 National Championship.
Beard, a former Longhorns team manager under Tom Penders, has made a fast start at his alma mater. Texas reached the NCAA Tournament, winning 22 games in its first season. Texas is 7-1 to start the 2022-23 campaign and has reached No. 2 in the AP Top 25.
CBS Sports will update this latest news release as more information becomes available.
