AUSTIN, TX (AP) — Texas fired basketball coach Chris Beard, who is facing domestic violence charges in connection with a Dec. 12 incident involving his fiancée, when the school told his lawyer Thursday that Beard was “not right” for the position.
Byrd had five years left on a seven-year guaranteed contract that included a clause where he could be fired for good cause if he was charged with a felony or committed other behavior that was inappropriate for his position or badly reflected on the university.
A charge of domestic strangulation/suffocation carries a possible prison sentence of two to 10 years if found guilty; the woman told police that Beard strangled and bit her, but later denied he strangled her.
Beard has been suspended without pay since his arrest, and school officials have said an internal investigation is underway.
The university’s vice president of legal affairs, Jim Davis, wrote in a letter to Byrd’s attorney Thursday that Byrd’s behavior is “unacceptable, making him unsuitable for a job as a head coach at our university.” According to Davis, prosecutors’ continuation of the case does not determine whether Byrd committed school inappropriate behavior.
Police responded to an emergency call at Byrd’s home after midnight on December 12 and arrested him after Byrd’s fiancée, Randy Trew, told cops that he choked her from behind, biting and hitting her as they argued.
The Associated Press does not usually identify alleged victims of extreme violence, but Trew issued a public statement on December 23 in which she denied having told police that Byrd strangled her. She also said that she never intended to arrest or prosecute him.
“Chris didn’t choke me and I reported it to law enforcement that evening,” Trew said in a statement. – Chris stated that he acted in self-defense, and I do not refute this. is trying to intentionally harm me in any way.”
True’s statement did not mention why she called 911 or other details in the police report, such as bite marks and abrasions on her face and telling officers that she was unable to breathe for about five seconds.
Byrd’s attorney, Perry Minton, said the coach was innocent and pointed to Trew’s statement in a letter sent Thursday morning to the university, in which Minton pressed the school to leave Byrd.
“Coach Byrd has done nothing to violate any provision of his contract with the University of Texas,” Minton wrote, adding that he expects the charges to be dropped.
Minton’s letter also states that Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte has “repeatedly informed our team that he is confident that Chris Beard has done nothing wrong and is innocent.”
“Your letter this morning shows that Mr. Bird does not understand the significance of the behavior he knows he has committed or the subsequent events that prevent him from effectively managing our program,” Davis wrote in his graduation letter.
“Lack of self-awareness is another failure of judgment that makes Mr. Beard unsuitable for a job as head coach at our university,” Davis wrote.
According to the arrest statement, Trew initially told police that she and Byrd had an argument when she broke his glasses before he “just lashed out at me and got really violent.” Police said Trew said that Beard knocked her glasses off her face and “choked me, bit me, bruised me all over my leg, threw me and went crazy.”
The Travis County District Attorney’s office did not respond to previous requests for comment on Byrd’s case or whether Trew’s Dec. 23 statement would change how prosecutors deal with a felony charge. According to the online recording, the court hearing is scheduled for January 18.
Beard led Texas Tech to an NCAA Tournament championship game in 2019 and was hired by Texas in 2021 with hopes that he will elevate his alma mater to the same elite level. This season he had the Longhorns program starting 6-0 and finishing in second place.
Deputy head coach Rodney Terry took Bird’s place during the suspension, and Del Conte said Thursday that Terry will remain acting head coach until the end of this season.
“We thank Coach Rodney Terry for his exemplary leadership both on and off the court at a time when our team needed it most,” Del Conte said. “We are proud of our student athletes, coaches and staff who have continued to make us proud to be Longhorns during this difficult time.”
The Longhorns (12-2, 1-1 Big 12) won their first five games under Terry before falling 116-103 to Kansas State on Tuesday.
A Texas graduate, Byrd spent 10 seasons at Texas Tech as an assistant to Bob Knight from 2001 to 2011 before returning there as head coach in 2016.
He was 112-55 in five seasons with the Red Raiders and was named Associated Press Coach of the Year in 2019 when he led Texas Tech to a 31-7 finish and lost in overtime to Virginia in the national championship game.
His departure to Texas — a deal struck after meeting Del Conte that included breakfast at a McDonald’s an hour north of Lubbock — disappointed Texas Institute of Technology officials.
Once he landed in Austin, Byrd decided to rebuild the program from the ground up, changing the scheduling and trying to generate new enthusiasm for the program by interacting with students and often having comedic “fireside chats” on campus. In his first season, he led Texas to a first-round win over Virginia Tech, the Longhorns’ first NCAA Tournament victory since 2014.
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