Texas fired men’s basketball coach Chris Beard on Thursday amid domestic violence charges stemming from a Dec. 12 arrest in which he is accused of strangling his fiancée, Randi Trew. She later walked back the allegations.
The news of Beard’s firing was announced Thursday by Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte.
“The University of Texas has parted ways with Chris Beard,” Del Conte said in a statement. “This has been a difficult situation that we’ve been working diligently 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 that 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.”
Earlier Thursday, the Travis County District Attorney’s office announced that it was reviewing the domestic violence case against Beard.
“Our office takes all allegations of domestic violence seriously,” the statement said, according to the Austin American-Statesman. “In each case, we are committed to working through the unique challenges presented.”
Beard was arrested in December after his fiancée told police that he “choked me, threw me off the bed, bit me, bruises all over my leg, throwing me around, and going nuts.”
Later in the month, she walked back the allegations.
“Chris and I are deeply saddened that we have brought negative attention upon our family, friends, and the University of Texas, among others,” Trew said in a statement. “As Chris’ fiancée and biggest supporter, I apologize for the role I played in this unfortunate event. I realize that my frustration, when breaking his glasses, initiated a physical struggle between Chris and myself. Chris did not strangle me, and I told that to law enforcement that evening.”
Beard, 49, took the job at Texas after five years at Texas Tech and guiding the Red Raiders to the Final Four in 2019. He has won over 70 percent of his games in his career as a head coach.
Texas is 12-2 so far this season and ranked No. 6 in the latest AP poll.