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UT suspends men’s basketball coach Chris Beard after arrest for domestic assault, reports say

Texas head coach Chris Beard talks to his players during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Creighton in Austin, Texas, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) (Eric Gay, Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

AUSTIN, Texas – University of Texas men’s basketball coach Chris Beard has been suspended after being arrested Monday morning on an assault charge, according to multiple sources, including ESPN and NBC affiliate KXAN.

Austin police said Beard is accused of choking someone at home in the Tarrytown neighborhood in west Austin.

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Online jail records show Beard was booked into Travis County Jail at around 4 a.m. for charges of assault on a family member-impede breath circulation, a 3rd-degree felony. No bail amount was set.

Beard graduated from Texas and served as a student assistant under former basketball coach Tom Penders. He had five successful seasons leading Texas Tech before coming back to his alma mater in 2021.

The records also did not identify an attorney for Beard.

“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 second-ranked Longhorns (7-1) play Rice University on Monday night.

Beard is in his second season with the Longhorns. Before that, he led Texas Tech to the 2019 NCAA Tournament championship game.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.