Chris Beard Releases Statement Concerning Dropped Domestic Violence Charges
On Wednesday, Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza announced that domestic violence charges against former Texas head coach Chris Beard had been dropped. In light of that news, Beard has released a statement Thursday.
“I am pleased with the announcement that the charges against me have been dismissed,” Beard started. “While I always had faith and confidence in the truth and this outcome, it has been extremely challenging to wait patiently and not publicly respond.
“I’m sorry and deeply remorseful to my family, friends, all my players and staff both most recent and past, and everyone at my alma mater The University of Texas, including the fans and supporters who were affected by this situation.
“I would also like to thank all this who have reached out to express encouragement and love during this difficult time.”
The case against Beard was dropped after Garza’s office determined that the felony offense could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, he said.
“Our office takes all domestic abuse cases seriously to ensure justice for the victims,” Garza said. “In every case, we are obligated to evaluate the facts and evidence and do our best to reach and outcome that will keep the victim and our community safe.”
Beard was suspended indefinitely on Dec. 12 after reports surfaced that he had been arrested for allegedly assaulting and strangling a woman, who turned out to be his fiancée. “The University takes matters of interpersonal violence involving members of its community seriously,” The University of Texas said in a statement at the time.
Then, Texas fired its head basketball coach on Jan. 5 due to the felony charges that stemmed from the alleged incident.
“The University of Texas has parted ways with Chris Beard,” Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said in a statement. “This has been a difficult situation that we’ve been diligently working through. Today I informed Mr. Beard of our decision to terminate him effective immediately. We thank Coach Rodney Terry for his exemplary leadership both on and off the court at a time when our team needed it most. We are grateful he will remain the acting head coach for the remainder of the season. We are proud of our student-athletes, coaches and staff, who throughout this difficult time have continued to make us proud to be Longhorns.”
Since Beard’s incident, the Longhorns basketball team has gone 13-5 and ascended into a tie for first in the Big 12 with an overall record of 20-6. During his time at Texas, Beard compiled a 29-13 record. His Longhorns advanced to the Round of 32 in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, before getting ousted by Purdue. He’s coached his teams to a 171-73 overall mark during stops at Little Rock, Texas Tech, and Texas.
