Jeff Lebby apologizes for Art Briles' on-field presence following SMU win

NORMAN — Jeff Lebby didn’t waste any time addressing the controversy over the weekend.

The OU offensive coordinator apologized Monday for bringing Art Briles onto the field following the Sooners’ 28-11 victory over SMU on Saturday. Briles — Lebby’s father-in-law — was the primary figure in the Baylor sexual assault scandal back in 2014 and was subsequently fired as the program’s head coach.

Lebby arrived for his typical 11:30 p.m. press conference on Monday and read from a prepared statement.

“I suspect some of you might have questions regarding my father-in-law and his presence at the game on Saturday night,” Lebby said. “I want to go ahead and address this… One, I just want everyone to understand that my father-in-law, his presence on the field after the game the other night is something that created a distraction and I do apologize for that. That was not the intent at all. The intent was to celebrate with my family.

“I do want to correct some reports that claimed he had a sideline pass. There was not a sideline pass given out. He was actually on the field when other families were down there and were present. (OU athletic director) Joe Castiglione and (OU head coach Brent) Venables have both addressed concerns with me and have talked to me about it and (I came to make) sure that everybody understands that this is something that will not come up again.”

Lebby — who joined Briles’ staff at Baylor in 2008 and remained there until 2016 — was asked two follow-up questions regarding the incident but declined to answer, emphasizing that his focus was on the Sooners’ upcoming game at Tulsa.

Briles’ appearance in OU apparel following the SMU game stirred a controversy on social media. When asked about it after the game, Lebby defended Briles' appearance on the field.

"He's my father-in law," Lebby said. "That's the grandfather to my two kids. So he was down with our entire family after the game, well after the game. He was down there with the entire family."

Venables was asked about Briles shortly after the game and said the incident was “being dealt with.” Castiglione released a statement around 11 p.m. Saturday expressing disappointment for something that “shouldn’t have happened” based on boundaries he believed had been set.

On Sunday, Lebby changed his profile picture on Instagram to a picture of Lebby and his kids posing with Briles on the field before the game.

Venables is set to speak to the media for his weekly press conference at 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday.