Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby issued an apology after ex-Baylor coach Art Briles, Lebby's father-in-law, was spotted walking alongside him following the Sooners' Sept. 9 home win against SMU. Lebby, in a prepared statement during his Monday press conference, called Briles' appearance a "distraction" and vowed that the situation "will not come up again" after speaking with Sooners coach Brent Venables and athletic director Joe Castiglione.
"One, [I] just want everyone to understand, my father-in-law, his presence on the field after the game is something that created a distraction and I apologize for that," Lebby said. "That was not the intent at all. The intent was just to celebrate with my family. I do want to correct some reports that said that he had a sideline pass, he did not have a sideline pass given out. He was only on the field when other families were down there and were present. Joe Castiglione, Coach [Brent] Venables have both expressed concerns with me, talked to me about it to make sure that everyone understands that this is something that will not come up again."
The sight of Briles wearing OU-branded gear on the field sparked backlash among Sooners fans aware of his embattled past. Briles has not coached at the major collegiate level since he was fired from Baylor in May 2016 amid a sexual assault scandal that rattled the Bears football program.
Venables, during his postgame press conference, said he was unaware of Briles' on-field presence until moments before taking the podium.
"I was made aware of it, just before I came in here, that [Briles] was [on the field]," Venables told reporters. "That's being dealt with."
Castiglione later issued a statement in which he condemned Briles' on-field presence and said the situation violated boundaries the school had set.
"I was just as disappointed as many of our fans when I learned of the postgame situation tonight," Castiglione wrote. "It shouldn't have happened and it was my expectation it never would, based on boundaries we previously set. I've addressed it with the appropriate staff."
Briles, 67, compiled a 99-65 record as a college coach between stops at Houston (2003-07) and Baylor (2008-15) before his dismissal as Bears coach ahead of the 2016 season. Briles returned to the state of Texas as a high school coach at Mount Vernon from 2019-20. He was set to return to the college ranks in 2022 as the offensive coordinator at Grambling State but resigned shortly after accepting the job amid intense backlash.
Lebby is not Briles' only family connection to a current Big 12 football coaching staff. Briles' son, Kendal, is in his first season as TCU's offensive coordinator. Briles, along with Lebby, spent time working for Art during his coaching tenure at Baylor.