Introduced at Ole Miss, Chris Beard sidesteps arrest questions
OXFORD, Miss. — Mississippi on Tuesday launched new basketball coach Chris Beard, who repeatedly declined to debate specifics concerning his December home violence arrest that led to his eventual firing at Texas.
“Respectfully, Randi (Trew) and I have agreed not to talk about the details of what happened, not only that night, but in the nights we went through during this process,” Beard mentioned. “But what I can tell you is that much of what was reported is not accurate, and that has been proven with the case being dismissed and the charges being dropped, and also Randi’s statement on December 23. I think that statement speaks for itself.”
Beard’s two-year tenure at alma mater Texas ended abruptly in January, although felony home expenses have been finally dismissed on Feb. 15. A prosecutor mentioned his workplace decided that the cost of assault by strangulation/suffocation-family violence couldn’t be confirmed past an affordable doubt.
Texas suspended Beard after his Dec. 12 arrest and fired him three weeks later when Texas officers informed Beard’s legal professional he was “unfit” to guide this system. Beard was arrested when his fiancée, Randi Trew, known as 911 and informed officers that Beard strangled, bit and hit her throughout a confrontation in his residence.
Trew later mentioned that Beard did not choke her, and was defending himself, and that she by no means meant for Beard to be arrested and prosecuted.
When requested particularly in regards to the accidents documented on a police affidavit from the evening of Dec. 12, Beard once more declined to get into specifics.
“Again, I am certainly not trying to avoid the question, but Randi and I have agreed not to discuss the details,” Beard mentioned. “There was a timeframe of what was reported and what was proven factual and not factual. Other statements were made and ultimately the charges were dismissed.”
Mississippi introduced Beard as its twenty third head basketball coach on Monday. When requested about what went into the vetting Beard, Keith Carter, the college’s Vice Chancellor for Athletics, mentioned he felt snug with the rent after a radical course of.
“We spoke with a lot of people to make our decision,” Carter mentioned. “Like we would with any hire of this magnitude, we were extremely thorough in our review of coach Beard. That evaluation included delving into reports that led to his departure from Texas. Those are allegations that we take very seriously. It was important that we gain an understanding of what took place. What we learned is that initial reports were not an accurate reflection of what happened.”
Carter went on to say he had “multi-level conversations with people surrounding that night,” and cited help from an outdoor search agency.
Beard has led three totally different applications to the NCAA Tournament since 2016, together with an look within the 2019 championship recreation and an Elite Eight run the yr earlier than at Texas Tech. He is 237-98 as a head coach and 11-5 within the NCAA Tournament.
Beard spent 5 seasons at Texas Tech, going 112-55 at a program that had endured 5 dropping seasons within the earlier six years. The Red Raiders went to their first Elite Eight in his second season and made it to the nationwide championship recreation in 2019.
Beard led Little Rock to a 30-5 report and a Sun Belt Conference title in his lone season, making the second spherical of the NCAA Tournament.
“Ole Miss has a rich and historic athletics legacy, and while there have been tremendous moments, men’s basketball has not always been a big part of that tradition,” Carter mentioned, addressing a crowd gathered within the stands. “Today, that changes. Our student athletes deserve the best coach, and now they’re getting it. Rebel Nation deserves March Madness, and now they’re getting it. This University deserves a championship, and today, we introduce a coach with a track record of success in competing at that level.”