2022-23 NCAA Men's Basketball Thread

[Newsdreams]

I'm aware. But since I work in DV intervention in Texas I can tell you the difference between what they can do and what they will do. The vast majority of times that a DV case has an unwilling complaint, the case is dismissed, even in cases with video evidence or multiple eye witnesses. Hell, the vast majority of DV cases with willing complainants are dismissed (though that's usually due to lack of evidence).

Down here the law now requires Justice department to file charges if an arrest was made when it is DV even if victim doesn't want to press charges. I wonder who made the call to 911 and what is recorded.

[WhiteTrash]

Down here the law now requires Justice department to file charges if an arrest was made when it is DV even if victim doesn't want to press charges. I wonder who made the call to 911 and what is recorded.

911 call?

Beard's attorney makes it sounds like the cops broke into his house and arrested him while he was sleeping. Typical cops.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Down here the law now requires Justice department to file charges if an arrest was made when it is DV even if victim doesn't want to press charges. I wonder who made the call to 911 and what is recorded.

I'm also curious about the 911 call.

[Skip Intro]

Right on cue. A little more aggressive of a statement than I would usually expect. I thought they would play it more as an embarrassing misunderstanding.

Since it appears that the complainant is unwilling to press charges, my guess is that the case ultimately gets dropped and Beard continue to coach.

The fact that there was a "complainant" (Beard's attorney's word) makes this tough for UT, though, even if charges aren't pursued.  That likely means someone in his family, perhaps the fiance herself, called the police - this wasn't just a neighbor overhearing an argument.  And the cops saw/heard enough evidence of a strangulation to arrest him. 

Without charges, I doubt UT fires Beard, but this will follow him and cloud every sideline outburst or player interaction from here on out. 

[cheebs09]

I'm also curious about the 911 call.

I saw a Tweet the incident occurred a number of months ago. I haven’t really seen that reported elsewhere though.

[Newsdreams]

I saw a Tweet the incident occurred a number of months ago. I haven’t really seen that reported elsewhere though.

It said it was a "hot" call so supposedly the incident is happening at the moment.

[rocky_warrior]

I saw a Tweet the incident occurred a number of months ago. I haven’t really seen that reported elsewhere though.

Yeah, I don't think the police were just sitting around after midnight and decided to make a sudden arrest based on some old report.

[cheebs09]

It said it was a "hot" call so supposedly the incident is happening at the moment.

That makes sense. Thanks!

[GoldenEagles03]

Yeah, I don't think the police were just sitting around after midnight and decided to make a sudden arrest based on some old report.

Saw a tweet that said the incident occurred at their home (which was listed for sale in September).

Maybe that is where the confusion is here.

[Scoop Snoop]

The fact that there was a "complainant" (Beard's attorney's word) makes this tough for UT, though, even if charges aren't pursued.  That likely means someone in his family, perhaps the fiance herself, called the police - this wasn't just a neighbor overhearing an argument.  And the cops saw/heard enough evidence of a strangulation to arrest him. 

Without charges, I doubt UT fires Beard, but this will follow him and cloud every sideline outburst or player interaction from here on out.

Not trying to give you a hard time, but do you honestly think Texas would fire him if he is charged? Watch this get quickly swept under the rug. We're talking about Texas here. C'mon!

[wadesworld]

Arrested at 4:18...but hey, why don't you step on my good material.

I will rain on your good material.  911 call was at 12:15.  Booked at 4:18.  So Beard's "nothing good" act was at roughly 12:15.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/texas-coach-chris-beard-arrested-on-felony-assault-charge-for-alleged-strangulation-of-family-member/

[LAZER]

Not trying to give you a hard time, but do you honestly think Texas would fire him if he is charged? Watch this get quickly swept under the rug. We're talking about Texas here. C'mon!

It can't really get swept under the rug, that ship has sailed.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Not trying to give you a hard time, but do you honestly think Texas would fire him if he is charged? Watch this get quickly swept under the rug. We're talking about Texas here. C'mon!

If he is charged, at the very least he will be suspended with pay. And there is some stuff that still is going to come out about this.  Who called 911?  Why was it considered a "hot" call? What evidence was collected - including pictures.

[Jockey]

If he is charged, at the very least he will be suspended with pay. And there is some stuff that still is going to come out about this.  Who called 911?  Why was it considered a "hot" call? What evidence was collected - including pictures.

Ray Rice redux. Sounded like a really bad story - but then the video came out and it was devastating.

Same thing will happen here if/when the audio is released. It will be immediate removal if he hasn't already resigned.

[Scoop Snoop]

It can't really get swept under the rug, that ship has sailed.

Fair enough. It's just that the most I see-assuming he is charged and convicted-is a suspended sentence and community service. Picking up dog poop that the owners of said dogs should have done themselves sounds like something he could do. I cannot imagine UT firing him unless he does time. That was my main point.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Fair enough. It's just that the most I see-assuming he is charged and convicted-is a suspended sentence and community service. Picking up dog poop that the owners of said dogs should have done themselves sounds like something he could do. I cannot imagine UT firing him unless he does time. That was my main point.

If he is found guilty of domestic violence he will be fired. No matter if the sentence is suspended or not.

The outcry among the students, and the media circus UT will have to go through, will not be even close to being worth the effort.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Fair enough. It's just that the most I see-assuming he is charged and convicted-is a suspended sentence and community service. Picking up dog poop that the owners of said dogs should have done themselves sounds like something he could do. I cannot imagine UT firing him unless he does time. That was my main point.

If he is convicted, he will be fired. All universities that accept federal funding (so all but 4 of them) are bound by Title IX and VAWA. While those don't specifically spell out minimum sanctions for various forms of sexual violence, they have led to a vast majority of universities creating university polices with minimum sanctioning guidelines. I can't speak for UT-Austin, but students/employees found responsible for strangulation is an auto-expel/terminate at most universities. Failure to follow their internal policies could result in multi million dollar civil litigation. It could also result in the Department of Education getting involved and cutting off all of UT-Austin's federal funding. This has never happened but it is a stick that the DoE likes to swing around to keep universities in line.

Again, if I was a betting man, I think this case will be dropped and Beard will continue to coach in Austin. Not because there is no merit to the case (I have no idea if there is or not) but because most DV complainants end up not following through on pressing charges and most DAs will not prosecute without a willing complainant.

[MuggsyB]

If he is convicted, he will be fired. All universities that accept federal funding (so all but 4 of them) are bound by Title IX and VAWA. While those don't specifically spell out minimum sanctions for various forms of sexual violence, they have led to a vast majority of universities creating university polices with minimum sanctioning guidelines. I can't speak for UT-Austin, but students/employees found responsible for strangulation is an auto-expel/terminate at most universities. Failure to follow their internal policies could result in multi million dollar civil litigation. It could also result in the Department of Education getting involved and cutting off all of UT-Austin's federal funding. This has never happened but it is a stick that the DoE likes to swing around to keep universities in line.

Again, if I was a betting man, I think this case will be dropped and Beard will continue to coach in Austin. Not because there is no merit to the case (I have no idea if there is or not) but because most DV complainants end up not following through on pressing charges and most DAs will not prosecute without a willing complainant.

Sadly this is probably the most likely scenario.

[PGsHeroes32]

Confirmed to be a woman and not the boyfriend of his daughter.

I think hes done for.

[rocky_warrior]

Confirmed to be a woman and not the boyfriend of his daughter.

I think hes done for.

ahem....

"Another reporter for the Statesman, Ryan Autullo, provided more critical information — that the complainant in this case is Beard’s fiance."

And to expand on that:

“NEW: I’m told the complaining witness in Chris Beard’s arrest is his fiancé,” Autullo tweeted. However, he later deleted that tweet and commented that he did so out of respect of privacy for the involved parties.

“I removed a tweet on Chris Beard that identified his relationship with the complainant in his arrest. I did this out of privacy concerns for the complainant,” he added.

[Pakuni]

Austin PD press release:

On December 12, 2022, at approximately 12:15 a.m., the Austin Police Department (APD) received a 9-1-1 call for a disturbance in the 1900 block of Vista Lane. The caller reported the disturbance was no longer ongoing and one of the individuals had left the house. APD officers responded and located a woman who stated she had been assaulted and strangled by Christopher Michael Beard. 

Beard was booked into Travis County Jail. He is charged with Assault by Strangulation/Suffocation - Family Violence, a third degree felony. 

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or by calling 512-472-8477. 

[Scoop Snoop]

If he is found guilty of domestic violence he will be fired. No matter if the sentence is suspended or not.

The outcry among the students, and the media circus UT will have to go through, will not be even close to being worth the effort.

Let's hope so.

[rgoode57]

Sad to say, but at UT it is easy to imagine that some booster writes a big enough check to make the complainant have a quick change of heart. And, as another poster said, without a willing complainant, the DA has nothing to prosecute.

[brewcity77]

I'm guessing with Texas' booster capabilities, his fiancee will have hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of reasons to not press charges.

[Pakuni]

Sad to say, but at UT it is easy to imagine that some booster writes a big enough check to make the complainant have a quick change of heart. And, as another poster said, without a willing complainant, the DA has nothing to prosecute.

Not necessarily true.
There will be statements to police, officer testimony, possible occurrence witnesses and potential physical evidence, such as photos of injuries.
We really don't know yet. But it's not out of the ordinary for a DV case to be prosecuted without a willing complainant.