Chris Beard is officially out as Texas basketball’s head coach.

UT Austin announced the news Thursday, posting a statement from athletic director Chris Del Conte to the Longhorns website:

The University of Texas has parted ways with Chris Beard. This has been a difficult situation that we’ve been diligently working through. Today I informed Mr. Beard of our decision to terminate him effective immediately.

We thank Coach Rodney Terry for his exemplary leadership both on and off the court at a time when our team needed it most. We are grateful he will remain the acting head coach for the remainder of the season.

We are proud of our student-athletes, coaches and staff, who throughout this difficult time have continued to make us proud to be Longhorns.

Beard’s firing is for cause after his December arrest for domestic violence. Texas legal affairs considers Beard unfit to be the program’s head coach, regardless of any further developments in the legal case.

Beard, 49, was the 2019 Associated Press national coach of the year at Texas Tech. He took the Texas job in 2021 and guided the Longhorns to last year’s NCAA Tournament.