TEXAS, USA — Texas Longhorns assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Jeff Banks got married over the weekend to Danielle Thomas, who Banks had been dating for a number of years.
Banks and Thomas made headlines in 2021 after they were sued by a family in Austin claiming the couple's pet monkey bit their child on Halloween. The Austin American-Statesman detailed how the story developed from a widespread rumor and a viral tweet from a freelance sports journalist. It's not clear if the lawsuit moved beyond the initial filing.
College football writer Brett McMurphy on Monday shared screenshots of a post by Thomas, whose Instagram handle is "poleassassin_," which showed the couple's wedding welcome sign captioned "Luv In The Club ... THE BANKS ... Jeff & Dani ... July 20th, 2024." The other photo in the post showed numerous people, including head coach Steve Sarkisian, smiling and throwing up a "Hook 'Em" sign.
Banks posted to his Instagram on Monday with his new bride, saying the newlyweds were off to Barcelona for their honeymoon. Banks also shared a post by fellow Longhorns coach Chris Gilbert to his Instagram story. Gilbert congratulated the couple and shared a gallery of photos of the wedding, including Banks and Thomas dancing together and the same photo as the one in McMurphy's post on X.
Thomas was identified as "Pole Assassin" in the 2021 lawsuit, synonymous with the Instagram handle, which ESPN reported was her stage name as a dancer, and she once appeared on "The Jerry Springer Show" with the monkey.
Before coaching on Sarkisian's staff with Texas, they worked together at Alabama under Nick Saban. Sarkisian was the offensive coordinator there and Banks served under the same role he holds at Texas: special teams coordinator and tight ends coach.
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