Chris Beard reveals how he changed as a person since arrest, firing

Newly hired Ole Miss men’s basketball coach Chris Beard has had an eventful year, to say the least. Beard started the season as the head coach for the Texas Longhorns, but after being arrested on charges of third-degree domestic violence following a dispute with his fiancee, he was suspended and later relieved of his coaching duties by the university.

Fast forward to now, and the charges have been dropped from that December incident. And despite Beard avoiding a conviction on his record, the Rebels’ new headman has not been the same sense. During his introduction interview, Beard revealed how he changed as a person since his arrest and being fired by Texas.

“Yeah, I appreciate you asking that question cause absolutely. During this time, I had a chance to spend a lot of time with my family; I get emotional talking about that,” said Beard. “So just a lot of time with my family, quality time than maybe I’ve never had before. And I know coaching again, I’ll do things a little different in that regard. Certainly, too, just improving myself, spending some time listening to mentors, and self-analyzing.”

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Beard was off to a hot start at Texas before being suspended and eventually terminated for the incident. Last season he led the Longhorns to a 22-12 record and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before ultimately being eliminated by Purdue 81-71. This season Beard went 7-1 with the Longhorn before the head coaching change was made.

“I think there’s a balance that I’ve always strived for. And I’m certainly not perfect, but I feel like I’ve grown a lot in the last three months in terms of the balance that I need between leader, coach, father, (and) son. I spent some time with my parents, that I haven’t done as much as I should have during basketball. So yeah, I’m excited. I can’t tell you how excited I am… But I’m ready. I think the reflection and the time off, as hard as it was, has made me better.

The new Ole Miss head coach is getting a second chance at coaching at the highest level in college basketball. Beard says he is fortunate to have this opportunity with the Rebels and to help build their program into a more formidable foe in the SEC. Still, his time away from the game has done him a great deal of help, and he appears to be better for it.