University of Texas Head Basketball Coach Fired After Assault Charge

Hannah Ashtari, Managing Editor| January 9, 2023

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On Thursday, UT Athletics announced the firing of men’s basketball coach Chris Beard following his arrest on domestic violence charges in an altercation with his fiancée.

On Thursday, Jan. 5, the University of Texas Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte released a statement notifying the public of the firing of Chris Beard, formerly the university’s head basketball coach. Beard was hired in 2021 on a seven-year contract following his success as head basketball coach at Texas Tech University, where he led the men’s team to the 2019 NCAA Tournament championship game. His dismissal followed his arrest for third-degree felony assault charge in the early morning of Monday, Dec. 12, in Austin; he was released later that day on a $10,000 bond. 

The incident preceding Beard’s arrest involved his fiancée, Randi Trew, formerly a high school volleyball coach in Wolfforth, Texas. According to the arrest affidavit, Beard and Trew engaged in an altercation after Trew broke his glasses; Trew alleged Beard choked, bit, and hit her the night of his arrest, but later recanted her statements in the week following, claiming she never wanted to press charges against him. 

“As Chris’ fiancée and biggest supporter, I apologize for the role I played in this unfortunate event. I realize that my frustration, when breaking his glasses, initiated a physical struggle between Chris and myself,” Trew said in a statement to KXAN. “Chris has stated that he was acting in self-defense, and I do not refute that. I do not believe Chris was trying to intentionally harm me in any way. It was never my intent to have him arrested or prosecuted.” 

While Beard’s attorney, Perry Minton, released a statement on Beard’s behalf emphasizing that he was innocent of any criminal misconduct, the university maintains that the felony charges are not what impacted their decision to fire Beard, but his personal conduct, which led to his arrest.

“A coach is a leader—a leader who develops student athletes’ positive character, supports their education, prepares them for success in lives after graduation, and represents the University of Texas with honor and respect. A coach’s influence is effected through both professional and personal interactions,” University of Texas Vice President for Legal Affairs James Davis said in a letter to Minton. “It is his actual behavior that we consider, not whether some acts also constitute a crime. Whether or not the District Attorney ultimately charges Mr. Beard is not determinative of whether he engaged in conduct unbecoming a head coach at our university.”

Beard was initially suspended without pay on the day of his arrest, with the university claiming the gap between his arrest and his firing was to allow for further details regarding the case to come to light. The Longhorns’ men’s basketball team went on to win five games under Associate Head Coach Rodney Terry following Beard’s suspension, finally losing a sixth to Kansas State University on Tuesday, Jan 3. 

“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 throughout this difficult time have continued to make us proud to be Longhorns.”

Correction: The headline of an earlier version of this article incorrectly cited Beard’s position as Head Athletics Director, not Head Basketball Coach. We have updated this post.