The woman who told Austin Police that Chris Beard injured her during a violent altercation earlier this month is now saying that the University of Texas men's basketball coach may have acted in self-defense and that he never strangled her.
The comments appear to weaken the criminal case against Beard, who was taken to jail and faces a third-degree felony for family violence. Trudy Strassburger, first assistant in the Travis County District Attorney's office, which is prosecuting the case, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday."We are reviewing the statement from Randi Trew," the university said Friday.
The woman said she left the guest room and went to the master bedroom. About 10 minutes later, Beard entered the bedroom and slapped the woman's eyeglasses from her face, she said. He threw her to the ground from the bed and choked her from behind for five seconds, impeding her breathing, she said. The woman also said Beard bit her. Beard, while police were on scene, said he had audio recordings of the incident that show he was not the primary aggressor.
A UT alumnus, Beard returned to the school 20 months ago after leading Big 12 rival Texas Tech to historic success, including a runner-up finish at the 2019 NCAA Tournament. After a promising first season at UT under Beard, when the program snapped an eight-game losing streak in the NCAA Tournament, the Longhorns are poised for even greater success this year, with marquee wins against Gonzaga and Creighton.
In the days after the arrest, UT officials invited Beard and his representatives to lay out a case for why they should not fire him, according to multiple people familiar with those conversations. If UT brings him back, the situation may be uncomfortable with potential backlash from students and faculty, and from donors and season ticket holders.
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