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Beard was arrested on the morning of Dec. 12 after his fiancée, Randi Trew, told officers he choked her from behind, bit her and hit her when the two got in an argument. Trew released a statement on Dec. 23 in which she denied telling police Beard choked her. "Chris did not strangle me, and I told that to law enforcement that evening," Trew said in her statement. "Chris has stated that he was acting in self-defense, and I do not refute that. I do not believe Chris was trying to intentionally harm me in any way."

AUSTIN (KXAN/Texas Tribune) — The Texas chapter of the NAACP, along with the civil rights organization’s University of Texas at Austin chapter and a group of anonymous students, has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights alleging UT Austin is creating a “hostile environment” for Black students by continuing to play the “The Eyes of Texas” alma mater song at university events. The complaint, filed Friday morning, alleges Black students have been denied full benefits of Longhorn student life, because the song is an official part of the university, “despite its racially offensive origin,...

A group of University of Texas at Austin students are suing the school for creating a 'hostile environment' by forcing members of its marching band to play in a separate group because they refuse to play the school's spirit song, 'The Eyes of Texas', at football games. 'The Eyes of Texas' was first sung in 1903 at a student-organized minstrel show, a popular form of entertainment in the early 20th century that featured white performers in blackface, in downtown Austin. It's been a source of campus-wide debate for more than a year after a summer of Black Lives Matter protests...

Racist emails sent to the University of Texas amid a debate over the school song “The Eyes of Texas” were “abhorrent and hateful” but don’t truly represent the Longhorns’ alumni and fans, university President Jay Hartzell said Tuesday. Hartzell was responding to a report published Monday by the Texas Tribune that featured emails sent by school supporters angry that a group of football players had refused to sing the traditional song after games because of its historical links to racist minstrel shows. The Texas Tribune reported that the vast majority of more than 300 emails it received in a public...

What a game! Looks like the Horns are back.

The number of drug tests administered to University of Texas football players has skyrocketed under first-year coach Charlie Strong, according to university data obtained by the American-Statesman through an open records request. According to university records, an average of 104 tests were administered annually to football players from 2010 to 2013, the last four years under former coach Mack Brown. A total of 188 tests were administered the first eight months this year under Strong. At an annualized rate, that’s more than double the previous four years.

FORT WORTH — Authorities are not allowing longhorns with the Fort Worth Herd to roam on the new Chisholm Trail Parkway during a weekend of festivities to open the tollway. Seems the North Texas Tollway Authority has decided the road is for cars, not cattle. The 28-mile toll road, named after the historical cattle trails that led to Oklahoma, Kansas and beyond in the mid-1800s, is scheduled to open to traffic Sunday. It will connect Interstate 30 near downtown Fort Worth to U.S. 67 in Cleburne. Crews will open one on- and off-ramp at a time beginning about 8 a.m....

Former NFL and star college quarterback Vince Young has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection only years after signing a massive contract. Mr Young’s reckless spending habits have him running for cover from debt collectors despite making millions during his pro career. The filing was made last week in Houston as two lawsuits seeking more than $2million from the ex-Tennessee Titan were ruled in favor of the plaintiffs.

Mack Brown, who led the Longhorns to a national championship in 2005, will step down as Texas’ head coach after 16 seasons. The University would not confirm the news and denied that Brown would step down.

TIME (ET) MATCHUP TV 12:00 PM No. 11 Oklahoma at TCU 12:00 PM No. 23 Oklahoma State at Baylor FX 12:00 PM UCF at Tulsa 2:30 PM Nicholls State at No. 15 Oregon State Pac-12 Network 2:30 PM Kansas at West Virginia 3:00 PM Middle Tennessee at Arkansas State 3:00 PM Louisiana-Lafayette at Florida Atlantic 3:30 PM No. 20 Boise State at Nevada 3:30 PM Cincinnati at Connecticut 4:00 PM No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Georgia* CBS 4:00 PM New Mexico State at Texas State 7:00 PM Pittsburgh at South Florida 8:00 PM No. 18 Texas at No. 6...

Darrell K Royal, who coached the Longhorns to three national titles and became the biggest college football icon in a state that worships the sport, has died at age 88. On the field, Royal was known for his play-calling genius, taking the biggest of risks in the biggest of games and coming out a winner more often than not. Off the field, he rose from humble beginnings during the depths of the Depression to become a homespun populist rivaling Will Rogers. Royal was the winningest coach in University of Texas history, compiling a 167-47-5 record in 20 seasons from 1957...

Good Bye to A&M!

The Pac-12 appears to be working out the final details of a deal that would bring Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech to the conference, sources close to the situation told Hookem.com and the American-Statesman on Sunday morning.

COLLEGE STATION — A swanky television network beaming from the state’s capital has threatened to do what the departures of Nebraska and Colorado could not: bust up the Big 12. Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin used the term “uncertainty” time and again Thursday in describing the state of the league, thanks to the start of the ESPN-owned Longhorn Network in Austin next month. “The (recent) announcement by ESPN that the Longhorn Network might carry a conference (football) game in addition to a nonconference game was troubling, and then following right after that was ESPN’s announcement regarding high school games...

Longhorns fans will have two opportunities to get a first-hand look at the Texas Football team and a chance to personally meet the squad as it prepares for its season opener at Rice on Sept. 4. The two open practices will be on Wednesday, Aug. 11, and Thursday, Aug. 12, from 7-9 p.m. at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Nice poker face, Lady Gaga. Way to go all in there, Bevo. Oh, we were braced for Expansiogeddon. Texas was going here. Texas was going there. Everyone wanted Texas. Texas to the Pac-10 was a done deal. Texas was going to topple all the dominoes because Texas held all the cards. Well, then Texas got its bluff called. And guess what? When it came down to the moment of truth, Texas pushed away from the table, stayed right where it was. Texas fold ’em. Don’t get me wrong. Thank goodness. The Big 12 (now 10) somehow hanging on saved college...

AUSTIN, TX - Two Longhorn football players have elected to transfer, defensive end Russell Carter and safety Ben Wells, both of whom would have been juniors next season, confirmed on Tuesday. Both players cited the desire to seek more playing time as their reason for transferring. “I want to thank Coach Brown and the staff for my experience at Texas,” Carter said. “I’ve enjoyed a lot of great times with my teammates and wish them continued success. I want to play now and have decided to transfer and continue to pursue my academic and football goals at another school.”

AUSTIN, Texas - The Longhorns have scheduled home football games with BYU and UTEP for the 2011 and 2012 seasons, The University of Texas announced Tuesday. UT will host BYU on Sept. 10, 2011 and UTEP on Sept. 8, 2012. The Longhorns also confirmed the Texas-Texas A&M game will remain on Thanksgiving Night for the next two years. Television and kickoff times for the Thanksgiving Day State Farm Lone Star Showdown games with the Aggies have not been set.

Texas loses offensive swagger after injury to McCoy Colt McCoy had fallen early to injury leaving the Texas offense in shambles. True freshman QB Garrett Gilbert stepped into the harsh spotlight of the biggest game in college football and looked like a freshman ought to look when thrown into that situation; scared and shaky.

Well, here it is, the final game of the 2009 college football season. For much of the bowl season, I've had to work, get my car fixed, and Google search any insignificant question and computer problem my grandparents call me about. (You would think with their age and guile they'd have the answers to various things readily available. You would think). So needless to say, this has kept me from my assigned college football commenting duties. For that I apologize, but tonight I will get the festivities going. So without further ado... The BCS National Championship Game: Alabama vs. Texas...