Chris Bird was introduced as the new head coach Mississippi men’s basketball team Tuesday, months after his domestic violence arrest led to his dismissal from the Texas Longhorns program.
Sakal, 50, said he was “sorry and sorry” for the victims Allegations of December 12 by his fiancée, Randy Trew, but repeated Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter’s statement that initial reports of the incident were “inaccurate.”
Texas Longhorns head coach Chris Byrd during the second half of the Illinois Fighting Illini game at Madison Square Garden on December 6, 2022 in New York City. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
“As with any hire of this magnitude, we looked at Coach Beard very carefully,” Carter told reporters at a news conference. “This assessment included an investigation into the reports that led to his departure from Texas. We take these allegations very, very seriously. And it’s very important that we have a clear understanding of this particular situation.
Chris Beard EXPECTED TO DO JOB WITHIN WEEKS after Domestic Violence Charges Dropped: REPORTS
“What we understand is that the initial reports are not accurate, not a true picture of what happened. We had a lot of conversations with a number of people around him that night, and Coach Byrd was very open about that.”
Beard was arrested in December after Trew called 911 and accused Beard of choking, biting and punching her during a confrontation at her home. She later denied Beard’s initial claim that he had strangled her, noting that he acted in “self-defense” the night of the altercation.
Texas Longhorns head coach Chris Byrd during the second half of the Illinois Fighting Illini game at Madison Square Garden on December 6, 2022 in New York City. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
“It was never my intention to arrest or prosecute him,” he said in a statement.
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The case was subsequently dismissed and Be a miss On Feb. 28, he started talking to Beard, Carter said.
“After reviewing all the information and learning more about Beard’s coaching style, we are very confident and excited to have him join the Ole Miss family.”
Beard did not provide details about the allegations or the night in question and often referred to Trew’s statement. He dodged several questions about the initial charges against him.
Chris Byrd speaks during a news conference after being introduced as Mississippi’s head men’s basketball coach on March 14, 2023 in Oxford, Miss. (AP Photo/Bruce Newman)
“Respectfully, Randy and I have agreed not to discuss the details of not only that night, but the nights we’ve been through this process,” Beard said. “But what I can tell you is that most of the information that has been reported is wrong, and that’s proven not only by the dismissal of the case, the dismissal of the charges, but also by Randy’s statement on December 23rd. I think this statement is telling. for himself.”
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Beard replaces Kermit Davis, who was fired through the end of the 2022-23 season.
Beard has led three different programs to the NCAA Tournament since 2016, including a 2019 championship game appearance and an Elite Eight run at Texas Tech a year ago. He is 237-98 as a head coach and 11-5 in the NCAA Tournament.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
