UT basketball coach Chris Beard suspended after family violence arrest

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The University of Texas at Austin has suspended males’s head basketball coach Chris Beard with out pay as he faces a third-degree felony cost for family violence.

Beard, 49, was arrested early Monday morning for allegedly strangling his fiancé after Austin police responded to a 911 name at a house in Tarrytown. He was launched this afternoon from Travis County Jail after paying a $10,000 bond.

UT stated in a statement later within the day that it “will withhold his pay until further notice.” Beard is at present within the second season of a seven-year contract with the Longhorns that pays round $5 million a 12 months on high of assorted perks.

The Austin American-Statesman reported that Beard’s contract incorporates an ordinary UT clause that permits the college to droop or hearth him with trigger for any conduct that’s “unbecoming” or results in a legal cost “involving a felony, or any crime involving theft, dishonesty, or ethical turpitude.”

“The University takes matters of interpersonal violence involving members of its community seriously,” learn the assertion.

Perry Minton, Beard’s lawyer, didn’t instantly reply to The Texas Tribune. But in a comment to the American-Statesman, he stated Beard must be free.

“He should never have been arrested,” Minton informed the newspaper. “The complainant wants him released immediately and all charges dismissed. It is truly inconceivable.”

Associate head coach Rodney Terry is filling in Beard’s function for tonight’s recreation in opposition to Rice University.

Beard arrived at UT in 2021, and the college additionally needed to pay $4 million to purchase out his contract at Texas Tech University. The deal makes him one of the highest-paid faculty males’s basketball coaches, in addition to one of the vital well-paid workers within the UT system.

Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin, Rice University and Texas Tech University have been monetary supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news group that’s funded partly by donations from members, foundations and company sponsors. Financial supporters play no function within the Tribune’s journalism. Find a whole list of them here.