The Travis County (Texas) district attorney's office on Wednesday dismissed the felony domestic violence charge against former Longhorns men's basketball head coach Chris Beard, who lost his job after his fiancée called 911 and said he had attacked her.
Beard's fiancée, Randi Trew, released a statement several days after his arrest saying that "it was never my intent to have him arrested or prosecuted."
The DA's office filed a motion Wednesday to dismiss the case.
"After a careful and thorough review of the evidence, recent public statements, and considering Ms. Trew’s wishes, our office has determined that the felony offense cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt," the DA's office said in a statement.
According to Beard's arrest affidavit, Trew said the couple had been arguing about their relationship for several days. She told police she approached Beard in a guest bedroom and, after Beard ignored her, she became frustrated and took his eyeglasses from his hand and broke them. She also told police that she "did not feel safe."
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Trew later clarified that Beard might have acted in self-defense.
Beard's attorney said in a statement Wednesday that he and Beard are pleased with the decision.
“Everyone knows that Coach Beard has maintained his absolute innocence since the moment he was arrested," Perry Minton, Beard's lawyer, said. "Today, the district attorney has filed a motion to dismiss the case in the interest of justice, which is not common. Additionally, this district attorney has a well-earned reputation for being very tough regarding domestic violence cases. The fact that Mr. Garza’s review resulted in this determination says a lot. We are very pleased.”
The University of Texas fired Beard on Jan. 5, less than a month after his Dec. 12 arrest on an assault on a family member charge. Beard was offered the chance to resign, according to documents obtained by the Austin American-Statesman under the Texas Public Information Act, but he chose not to and still doesn't understand what he did wrong, a UT vice president said.
Minton wrote UT saying, "I want to be on record as emphatically stating, and herein memorializing, that Coach Beard has not done anything to violate any provision of his contract with the University of Texas."
Beard, who received his bachelor’s degree from Texas in 1995, took over the Texas basketball program in April 2021 after coaching at Texas Tech University for five seasons. He signed a seven-year contract with Texas for a flat salary of $5 million a year, which made him one of the highest-paid coaches in the country.
After Beard was fired, lead assistant Rodney Terry has served as the interim head coach and guided Texas to a 13-5 record. Texas is currently 20-6 and ranked No. 5 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.