To me, the court of public opinion is an important consideration. While both the lawyers and also the University may not agree, if Beard wishes to rehabilitate his image, if would suggest a press conference. He has the personality to pull it off. The key will be his fiancee, and how she would come across; like a willing participant who is remorseful and embarrassed, or someone who looks like a POW. While abuse — if that’s what it was — is very serious, everyone knows that couples have arguments. Sometimes they get out of hand and both parties later regret their behavior. So the press conference would be a risk/reward proposition. If they project a loving relationship, it will be difficult for a majority of the public not to accept what is communicated, allowing Beard to move on. Some people can pull it off. I’d tend to put Beard in that category. But I doubt they’ll take such an approach.
You are ignoring the possibility of the fiancé having a diagnosed medical condition. Since you cannot disparage mental illness nowadays, how do you speak about it? My guess is that all parties try to to have this go away as quietly as possible and beard stays on as coach. What is the alternative? Everyone who is married to a spouse with a mental condition is unemployable?
Interesting take. However, if indeed she is diagnosed with such a condition (and that would really surprise me because it has never been mentioned), that would tend to potentially fully exonerate him and change the conversation.
For starters if that’s the case, she (they) have to admit this. Get some PSAs going on mental awareness or push some charity work in the area would be some positive steps in rehabilitation of the smudge caused.
There are still the charges against him. Posters have pointed that just because she seens to have recanted the charges don't necessarily go away. We know there will be people who will push for action.
There will always be that rain cloud over Beard’s head. No matter what the truthful facts are, I believe he was already convicted by the court of public opinion when this story came to light.
Beard should already be gone, but my hope is the University is crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s to make sure he has no wrongful termination case.
I think the biggest dilema in all of this: if Beard is allow to stay and this happens again, the university gets cruxified by the press (we will be BU and many heads will roll including the president I imagine), but if Beard is innocent, this is sure a crappy precedent for the University to make. In other words, heads the University loses and tails the University loses.
Policies backed by virtue signaling have little margin of error. Either you are in or you are out (rule of the mob). No grey area.
As one condition of Beard coming back (still an unlikelihood), he'll be required to change the team's pre-game "fire-up" music to something besides the current pre-game locker room song:
Having been to a few games at the new arena already I can say with certainty this would SLAP on the PA system.
OK, but how are you gonna prosecute the charges if your key witness is going to testify that it didn't happen?
All I've seen on the internet about her leaving volleyball coaching is that Wolfforth Frenship (just outside of Lubbock) accepted her resignation as volleyball coach, with the typical vague, yet thankful and positive, CYA statement put out by the school. That, and some more vague insinuations from unreliable sources (like Texas Tech talk boards) that she allegedly did something wrong while coaching HS volleyball--but nobody will say what it was... Can anyone enlighten us on this with some accurate and specific facts? I have no idea what she did (if anything) prior to her resignation, other than coach a good volleyball team with a winning record. She apparently has been recently running a successful small business that helps people organize their things or something like that. Of course, these guys are absolutely relishing these recent developments... I've sure been hearing it from some of my Tech contacts...
Well Garza went to UT for undergrad so I doubt the DA office will be too aggressive. Although he does seem like a moron. But without a reliable witness I suspect the charges will be dropped. That doesn't mean he can't be fired for whatever the wording is in his contract, something like conduct unbecoming of what the University stands for, if I remember correctly. In which case he can be fired for cause without the payout. That, I think will be the biggest issue going forward, and the huge decision CDC has to make. No matter which way it goes it's a publicity disaster. From the competition it will be, "scum, retained a woman abuser". From Texas fans it will be, "horrible decision, no proof he did anything". Can Beard turn around and win a case of wrongful termination? I'll leave that too the lawyers here, but Mike Leach was fired for less.
You can find details on texags. Something about grabbing players by the hair and pulling them around.
If the fiancé went to a counselor even once for anger or mental health issues (or shown to display egregious behavior at previous places of employment), nothing is going to happen. You can’t disparage crazy nowadays. You guys do not understand what an ace up the sleeve this is. Beard is not the sinner but a saint to be in a relationship with her.
Chop, save the middle picture as an illustration of batshit crszy. Look at the bat wings disguised as a blouse.
All the aggression doesn't' count if the DA doesn't have "beyond a reasonable doubt" evidence to convict. Remember, it takes ten out of twelve jurors to agree on guilt. DA has the burden of proof. Her credibility is in the toilet. Photographs of bruises, scrapes, cuts, and bumps can be explained away as self-inflicted (crazy, but not unheard of) or the result of Beard's self-defense measures, e.g. pushing her away/grabbing arms to hold her back. Now, the DA may want to pressure Beard into a plea deal (which would be suicide for him), but if Beard stands firm, he has the upper hand.
