The University of Texas announced on Thursday that it has fired men’s basketball coach Chris Beard.
The dismissal comes less than one month after Beard was arrested on a third-degree felony assault charge for allegedly biting and assaulting his fiancee in their home. He was also originally accused of choking his fiancee, a claim that was later recanted with his fiancee saying that Beard acted in self-defense.
Beard has been suspended indefinitely by the program ever since with Rodney Terry serving as the team’s interim head coach.
Terry will continue to serve in that role, athlete director Chris Del Conte announced in a statement. You can read that statement here from the school.
Beard was working under a seven-year, $35 million contract that he signed with the school prior to the 2021-22 season. According to CBS Sports, Beard was fired with cause and will not be entitled to any salary or buyout from the school.
This was Beard’s second year leading the school’s basketball program, leading it to a 22-12 record and NCAA tournament appearance as a No. 6 seed. After winning their first-round matchup with Virginia Tech, they lost to No. 3 seed Purdue in the second round.
Texas, which is currently ranked No. 6 in the country, is 12-2 this season including a 5-1 mark since Terry took over.
Beard was seen as a rising star in the NCAA coaching ranks before getting the Texas job, due in large part to his success at Texas Tech. He was named NCAA coach of the year in 2019 after leading the Red Raiders to the NCAA championship game where they lost to the Virginia Cavaliers in overtime. That season came after a run to the Elite Eight during the 2018 NCAA season.
