AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- University of Texas head basketball coach Chris Beard was arrested early Monday morning on a felony charge of family assault, after a woman told Austin Police he strangled her.
According to a release from the Austin Police Department, the 49-year old Beard was booked into the Travis County Jail just after 4 a.m. Monday on a charge of Assault by Strangulation/Suffocation - Family Violence, which is a third-degree felony.
Beard walked out of jail just before 3 p.m. Monday afternoon on a $10,000 bond, according to Travis County jail records. He walked silently to a waiting vehicle outside the jail and was driven away.
After an initial statement Monday morning saying they were "monitoring" the legal process, University of Texas officials suspended Beard Monday evening. "The University takes matters of interpersonal violence involving members of its community seriously. Given the information available, The University has suspended Chris Beard from his position as head coach and will withhold his pay until further notice," the statement read.
School officials say associate head coach Rodney Terry will serve as acting head coach, beginning with Monday night's game against Rice at the Moody Center.
An emergency protective order issued during Beard's initial court hearing requires him to stay 200 yards away from the home where the assault took place, and 200 yards away from the victim at all times while the case remains in court. He's also barred from possessing a firearm or ammunition while the order remains in effect.
APD officers responded to a 911 call for a disturbance at a home in the 1900 block of Vista Lane around 12:15 a.m. Monday morning. That's in the Tarrytown neighborhood, near Windsor Road and MoPac Expressway.
The caller reported the disturbance was no longer ongoing, and one of the individuals had left the house. When officers responded to the scene, they located a woman who stated she had been assaulted and strangled by Beard.
Beard's attorney, Perry Minton, told the Austin American-Statesman his client maintains his innocence. "He should never have been arrested,” Minton told the Statesman. "The complainant wants him released immediately and all charges dismissed. It is truly inconceivable."
Beard has been the head coach at UT since April 2021, currently in the second season of a seven-year contract with a $5 million annual salary. Prior to his arrival at UT, Beard was the head coach at Texas Tech for five seasons. Beard is a UT alumnus, and was a graduate assistant for the Horns under then-head coach Tom Penders.
Beard's contract, although guaranteed, includes a standard provision that would enable the school to fire him for cause for conduct that the administration determines to reflect poorly on the program, school, or UT System.
If convicted on the third-degree felony charge, Beard could face anywhere from two to ten years in prison.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call APD at 512-974-8477, or Capital Area Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477.