The Chris Beard Fiasco
It wasn't surprising when the University of Texas announced the termination of Texas basketball coach Chris Beard on Thursday.
But it is still devastating.
For everyone involved.
But, the fault for all of that lies on one man, and now he must live with the consequences of his actions.
It was devastating for the University, who was lingering in college basketball purgatory for a number of years before Beard was hired in April of 2021. He was the perfect hire — a young, energetic coach who knew how to fill an arena, a coach who had taken a team to the national championship game, and perhaps most importantly — an alum, whose loyalty could never be questioned.
The athletic department had won two straight Director’s Cup trophies — given to the NCAA program that had exhibited the most success in that school year, but now the reputation of the entire department was in jeopardy after all the hard work from multiple programs.
It was devastating for UT fans — who had filled a brand new arena to the brim with excitement not seen in these parts for a long, long time.
And it was devastating for Beard, who had risen to the pinnacle of his profession — and was compensated royally for it — but now faces an uncertain future at best.
But, and this is important to remember, this entity, this program, this brand, this identity, it is bigger than any one person.
The University of Texas will be just fine without Chris Beard, who made his position with the University untenable with his actions, no matter what a court of law might find.
You can’t be the leader of men, the leader of a program with that dark cloud hanging over it.
I would be surprised if the coaching search was starting at square one this morning, this has probably been in the process for a while. Make the right hire and people will quickly forget about Beard.
As for Beard himself, if he manages to escape criminal ramifications, his future is dicey at best. Maybe he turns to television. Maybe he returns to coaching at a smaller school at a tiny fraction of what he was earning here. But that dark cloud will follow him. There might be a redemption story there, but judging by the reports yesterday that he felt like he had done nothing wrong here, that is a long road ahead.
Life is a series of choices that manifest into different branches. Make good choices, no matter how hard they might be, and perhaps you will be rewarded. Make bad choices, and keep making them, and eventually your luck runs out.
All the best to Beard, I hope he and his partner receive the help that they obviously need, and if not, I hope he makes better choices down the line.
And all the best to the University of Texas, which as recently as a month ago nobody saw the crossroads that they now approach.
The eyes of Texas are upon you.