Will Texas Become A Basketball School Under Chris Beard?
Could Chris Beard turn Austin into a basketball town?
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Travis County prosecutors on Wednesday dropped the domestic violence charges against former University of Texas basketball head coach Chris Beard, who lost his job after his fiancée called 911 and said he had assaulted her.
Beard’s fiancée, Randi Trew, released a statement a few days after his December 12 arrest, saying, “It was never my intention to have him arrested or prosecuted.”
The prosecutor’s office filed a motion to dismiss the case on Wednesday.
More:Texas Fires Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Beard; Rodney Terry is set to continue in his place
“After a careful and thorough review of the evidence, recent public statements and taking into account Ms Trew’s wishes, our office has determined that the crime cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
In his first public statements since the arrest, Beard said in a statement Thursday he was “pleased” with Wednesday’s announcement that the Travis County Attorney’s Office had dismissed the charges.
“I am pleased to announce that the charges against me have been dismissed,” Beard said. “While I have always believed and trusted in the truth and this outcome, it has been extremely difficult to wait patiently and not respond publicly.”
He added: “I am sorry and deeply remorseful to my family, my friends, all my players and staff, both recent and past, and everyone at my alma mater, the University of Texas, inclusive of the fans and supporters who have been affected by this situation.”
In the early hours of the morning after Trew called 911, she told Austin police that they had been at odds about their relationship for a few days before the confrontation became physical, according to Beard’s affidavit.
“He choked me, threw me out of bed, bit me, bruised my whole leg, threw me around and went insane,” she is quoted as saying in the affidavit. When an officer asked her if the suffocation was affecting her breathing, she said, “Yes, I couldn’t breathe. He probably did it for five seconds,” the affidavit reads.
She told police she approached Beard in a guest room, and after Beard ignored her, she became frustrated and took his glasses from his hand and broke them, the court document said.
She went back to her master bedroom, and about 10 to 15 minutes later, Beard walked in and she tried to offer him new glasses, the affidavit said. Beard knocked the glasses she was wearing off her face and when she tried to retrieve them, he threw them out of her bed onto the floor, the affidavit states, she told police.
According to prosecutors, Beard was jailed for “suffocation/suffocation – domestic violence.”
Trew later released a statement to the American-Statesman.
“As the fiancee and biggest supporter of Chris, I apologize for the role I played in this unfortunate event,” she said in the statement. “I realize my frustration at breaking his glasses sparked a physical fight between Chris and I. Chris didn’t strangle me, and I reported that to law enforcement that night. Chris has stated that he acted in self-defense and I don’t dispute that. I don’t think Chris was trying to intentionally harm me in any way.”
Beard’s attorney, Perry Minton, said in a statement Wednesday that he and Beard were happy with the decision.
“Everyone knows that Coach Beard has maintained his absolute innocence since his arrest,” Minton said. “Today the District Attorney filed a motion to dismiss the case in the interests of justice, which is not usual. Additionally, this District Attorney has a well deserved reputation for being very strict in domestic violence cases. The fact that Mr Garza’s review led to this finding says a lot. We are very pleased.”
UT released Beard on Jan. 5, less than a month after his arrest for assaulting a family member. According to documents obtained by the statesman under the Texas Public Information Act, Beard was offered the opportunity to resign, but he decided against it and didn’t understand what he had done wrong, a university vice president said.
Writing to UT, Minton said, “I want on record that Coach Beard did nothing to violate any provision of his contract with the University of Texas.”
More:Texas men’s basketball coach Chris Beard was suspended without pay after assaulting him
Beard, 49, who received his bachelor’s degree from UT in 1995, took over the men’s basketball program in April 2021 after coaching at Texas Tech University for five seasons. He signed a seven-year contract with UT for a flat salary of $5 million a year, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the country.
Former assistant head coach Rodney Terry has been in charge of the team since Beard’s arrest and subsequent suspension. Now with the title of interim head coach, Terry has led the Longhorns to a 13-5 record. Texas is 20-6 and #6 in the Associated Press’s top 25 poll this week.
In a statement, the prosecutor’s office discussed its track record of prosecuting domestic violence since prosecutor José Garza took office. Since 2021, the Office has charged or formally charged more than 2,000 people with assault/family violence and obtained more than 1,000 criminal convictions on family violence charges. In 2022, prosecutors jailed about 200 people accused of domestic violence.
“Our office takes all cases of domestic violence seriously in order to bring victims justice,” Garza said. “In each case, we have a duty to evaluate the facts and evidence and do our best to achieve an outcome that protects the victim and our community.”