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Chris Beard, UT men's basketball coach, arrested on assault charge

Chris Beard
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Chris Beard, the men's basketball coach at the University of Texas at Austin, is accused of strangling a woman.

According to the Austin Police Department, officers were called to a home around 12:15 Monday morning. Police said when officers arrived, they located a woman who said she was assaulted and strangled by Beard.

Beard was located and arrested hours later. He is charged with assaulting a family member, a third-degree felony.

In a statement to the Austin American-Statesmen, Beard's attorney said his client is "100% innocent of these charges." He added that Beard "should never have been arrested."

The University of Texas said it is "continuing to gather information and monitoring the legal process."

Beard is in his second year as head coach at the University of Texas. The team is 7-1 this season and ranked No. 7 in the country. The Longhorns are scheduled to play Monday night. It's unclear whether Beard will be coaching.