Chris Beard addresses need to be transparent with players, fanbase

New Ole Miss coach Chris Beard has a lot to prove to the Rebels fanbase not only on the court, but in regards to his character off it. Beard was fired from Texas in January after being arrested amid accusations of domestic violence against his fiancée, Randi Trew.

Beard fielded several questions about the incident in his introductory press conference on Tuesday, but declined to go into detail about what took place. Although that might seem to go against the concept of transparency, Beard nonetheless claimed he wants to be honest, especially with his players and fans, moving forward.

“I’m a relationship guy,” he said. “I think the core foundation of all relationships is the truth and transparency. There’s easy things to talk about and there’s challenging things to talk about in all relationships. I know we’re going to build this program through relationships. For example, talking to the players here in the last 36 hours or so. Whenever you have a real conversation, the truth and transparency is really important.”

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Although the police report said Beard strangled Trew, she later released a statement saying that was not true. She also said she did “not refute” Beard’s claims that he was acting in self-defense. The charges against Beard were later dropped after prosecutors determined the charge of strangulation/suffocation-family violence could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

That opened the door for Ole Miss to hire Chris Beard following the firing of Kermit Davis.

In in eight seasons as a coach at Texas, Texas Tech and Arkansas-Little Rock, Beard amassed a 171-73 record. He notched five NCAA Tournament appearances in that span, including leading the Red Raiders to the national title game in 2019. But while his on-court success speaks for itself, it’s clear he has plenty to prove in other areas.

“I can’t wait to get out not only on campus but in the community and really in the state and start meeting people,” he said. “Again, I wish the conversations were all about winning championships and graduating players and selling out arenas. But I understand that there will be other questions, and I’m OK with that.”