UT men's basketball head coach Chris Beard was arrested Monday morning on a third-degree felony charge.
Austin Police got a disturbance call around midnight from Beard's Tarrytown neighborhood. He was arrested and booked around 4 a.m. on a charge of assault on a household member impeding breath circulation — in other words, strangulation.
He was later released on bond from Travis County Jail. Under the terms of his release, he must stay 200 yards away from his house and the alleged victim.
If convicted, the 49-year-old could face up to 10 years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000.
This is Beard’s second year at the helm in Austin after coaching at Texas Tech for five years. His seven-year contract pays him more than $5 million annually.
In a statement, UT's athletics department said it is "aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard," and "continuing to gather information and monitoring the legal process.”
Beard led last year’s Longhorns squad to a 22-12 record that included the team’s first postseason victory since 2014. This year’s team was ranked as high as No. 2 nationally before losing their first game of the season last week to Illinois.
The team is scheduled to play Rice on Monday at the Moody Center.
This is a developing story.
KUT's Jerry Quijano contributed to this story.
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