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Chris Beard.
Texas men’s basketball coach Chris Beard was arrested Monday morning for felony domestic violence, local authorities said.
Beard, 49, is currently being arraigned at the Travis County Jail, he confirmed to ESPN Kristen Dark, chief public information officer for the Travis County Sheriff’s Office.
“He is in our custody,” Dark told the aforementioned sports news network. And in this regard, he added: “I can confirm that he is the person who is in our reservation process.”
Beard was arrested by police in Austin, Texas, and was booked on a third degree charge of “assault on a family/household member impairing the circulation of breath” or strangulation.
Austin police told ESPN they received a “riot” call and officers were dispatched to 1900 Vista Lane shortly after midnight Monday. The Austin Police Department website defines an “emergency call” as “incidents that are ongoing are an immediate threat to life and/or public safety… These calls are sent immediately.”
Austin police spokesman Brandon Jones told the Austin American-Statesman Beard is accused of suffocating a person in a home in the Tarrytown neighborhood of West Austin.
According to the aforementioned outlet, Beard entered the jail at 4:18 am on Monday, as seen in the jail records of the Travis County Sheriff’s Office.
The University of Texas statement on Beard’s arrest
Upon learning of the news about Beard’s arrest, the University of Texas issued a brief statement saying that “the university is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard. We continue to gather information and monitor the legal process.”
As reported by the ustin American-Statesman, Beard is in his second year in Texas. Before taking over for 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, graduated in Texas in 1995, according to the information shared by the aforementioned medium.
When he was signed in Texas, Beard was given a seven-year contract with an annual salary of $5 million.
Beard is engaged and has three daughters from a previous marriage, according to details. Bleacher Report.
The Texas Longhorns are scheduled to play this Monday night, but Beard won’t be able to make the bench.
As reported by Bleacher Report, the Texas Longhorns are scheduled to face Rice at the Moody Center in Austin on Monday at 8 pm ET, but Beard may not be on the bench as a result of his arrest.
Texas, ranked second overall in the Associated Press poll, is 7-1 and is off to its best start in years.
Beard, in his second season with the Longhorns, left Texas Tech to take what he called his “dream job” in Texas in 2021, according to ESPN.
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