Texas Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Beard In Hot Water After Early Morning Arrest For Strangulation Of Family Member

Coach Chris Beard burst onto the scene in the college basketball world in 2018 when he led the Texas Tech Red Raiders to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.

One year later, Beard and the Red Raiders took it a couple of steps further, reaching the NCAA Championship Game where they lost to the University of Virginia Cavaliers.

The run was enough to thrust Beard into the national spotlight as one of the nation’s best coaches. It was also enough to catch the eye of in-state rival Texas just a couple years later. The Longhorns poached Beard from Texas Tech and signed him to a seven-year, $35 million contract to revitalize their program.

Beard’s first season in charge was solid, but unspectacular. Texas went 22-10 on the year in 2021-22 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. But the Longhorns had bigger goals in mind. After a solid recruiting class and a number of transfers, Texas began the season ranked No. 12 in the AP Top 25.

Fast forward about a month and the Longhorns sit No. 2 in the country after a 6-0 start to the season. But an 85-78 loss to Illinois last Tuesday at the Jimmy V class knocked Texas from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Little did it know that things were about to get much, much worse.

Texas Coach Chris Beard Arrested On Felony Charges

Austin police arrested Beard in the early hours of Monday morning on charges of third-degree felony assault on a family member and strangulation.

Further reports state that Austin police said they responded to a call about a disturbance at Beard’s house at 2:07 a.m. and that it’s alleged that Beard strangled a person at his home.

The university has not yet offered a statement on the matter. The college basketball world was absolutely shocked by the allegations.

Beard is 49 years old and in his second year with the Texas program.