Editorial

Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Hires Chris Beard, Who Was Recently Arrested On Felony Domestic Violence Charge

(Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)

Andrew Powell Sports and Entertainment Blogger
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Ole Miss has guts with this move.

The University of Mississippi has named Chris Beard, who just a few months ago was facing felony domestic violence charges, as the next head coach of their men’s basketball program, according to a Monday announcement from the school.

Beard expressed his gratitude in a statement:

“I am honored to be joining the Ole Miss family and excited to get started at this great university. I can’t express how grateful I am to Chancellor [Glenn] Boyce, [vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics] Keith Carter and the rest of the search committee for their belief in me to lead this program.”

“I am really looking forward to being an active part of the Oxford community,” Beard continued. “I know we have one of the best venues in the country in the SJB Pavilion, and we are going to work tirelessly to build a championship caliber program. I can’t wait to connect with our players and recruits and begin this journey together. Hotty Toddy!”

The Texas Longhorns fired Beard in January after he was arrested for domestic violence on Dec. 12. Randi Trew, Beard’s fiancée, called 911 and told authorities that he choked her and hit her during an argument, according to police.

On Dec. 23, however, Trew released a statement saying that she never told officers she’d been choked or that Beard hit her and admitting that she was the one who “initiated a physical struggle.” In February, Travis County District Attorney Joe Garza officially dropped the charges, citing Trew’s request not to prosecute Beard.

I know a lot of people are angry with Ole Miss for the move, but I personally have no problem with it. There’s no solid evidence that Beard did anything wrong, and Trew also wanted the charges to be dismissed. So why continue to destroy Chris Beard’s career? (RELATED: Stephen A. Smith Admits To Having ‘Personal’ Beef With Kyrie Irving)

I applaud Ole Miss for helping this man (and his fiancée) get back on track.