By ADAM ZAGORIA & JIM VERTUNO
Texas men’s basketball coach Chris Beard was arrested early Monday on a felony domestic violence charge, according to Travis County (TX) Jail records obtained by ZAGSBLOG.
The county Sheriff’s Office said Beard, 49, was arrested by Austin police and booked at 4:18 a.m. ET on a charge of assault on a family or household member in which their breath was impeded. In common terms, Beard is accused of choking.
Here is the arrest info on @TexasMBB
coach Chris Beard from the Travis County Sheriff’s Office https://t.co/y0rNF5SQV9 pic.twitter.com/lWdY8HFCAR— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) December 12, 2022
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The charge is a third-degree felony in Texas, with a possible punishment of two to 10 years in prison. The jail records showed Beard had not yet posted bond as of Monday morning and did not indicate when he would be making an initial court appearance. No attorney for him was listed.
Beard’s attorney, Perry Minton, issued a statement to various media outlets:
“Coach Beard is 100 percent innocent of these charges. He should have never been arrested. The complainant wants him released immediately and all charges dismissed. It is truly inconceivable.”
Texas also issued a statement:
“The university is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard. We are continuing to gather information and monitoring the legal process,” the school said in a statement.
The No. 7- ranked Longhorns (7-1) host Rice on Monday night. A school spokesman said it is unclear whether Beard would coach in the game.
“We don’t have any further details at this point,” the spokesman said. “In the info-gathering phase.”
(The AP contributed)
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
The post Texas coach Chris Beard arrested on felony domestic violence charge appeared first on Zagsblog.