The University of Texas fired men's basketball coach Chris Beard on Thursday, nearly one month after Beard was arrested and charged with third-degree felony assault for allegedly assaulting, strangling, and biting his fiancee at their home.
In a statement, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said:
"The University of Texas has parted ways with Chris Beard. This has been a difficult situation that we've been diligently working 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 he will remain the acting head coach for the remainder of the season."
Beard has been suspended without pay since Dec. 12, when the police report of the incident was made public. In the report, Beard's fiancee Randi Trew said that Beard had "snapped on" her and become "super violent." She said, per the report, that Beard “choked me, threw me off the bed, bit me, bruises all over my leg, throwing me around, and going nuts.” She also said that Beard put his arm around her neck and choked her for five seconds, during which she couldn’t breathe. Police observed bruises and blood on her body.
Eleven day later, Trew recanted her statement, saying through her lawyer that she initiated the conflict and that she never wanted Beard to be arrested and prosecuted. As of now, the charges against Beard have not been dropped.
Sixth-ranked Texas is 5-1 since Beard's suspension.
Update (3:48 p.m.): Chris Beard's attorney released the following statement:
