Texas football assistant coach Jeff Banks, girlfriend are being sued over alleged monkey bite

Scooby Axson, USA TODAY
·1 min read

Texas assistant football coach Jeff Banks and his girlfriend, Danielle Thomas, are facing a civil lawsuit after Thomas' monkey allegedly bit a child at her residence.

The incident happened on Halloween, according to a lawsuit, obtained by ESPN, filed this week in Travis County District Court in Austin, Texas.

Damages for gross negligence and defamation are sought by Amy and Casey Clinkenbeard on behalf of their child.

The child is identified as C.C. in the lawsuit. The couple alleges that the child and two friends went trick-or-treating and then were invited to a haunted house. After going through the house, the trio was taken to the backyard, where Thomas kept a monkey, who was trained to give high-fives.

The monkey instead bit the child, according to the lawsuit.

Texas assistant head coach Jeff Banks signals during the first half of the Texas Orange and White Spring Scrimmage in Austin, Texas.
Texas assistant head coach Jeff Banks signals during the first half of the Texas Orange and White Spring Scrimmage in Austin, Texas.

"C.C. was forced to manually pry the monkey's jaw open. There was so much blood that C.C. was unable to see the full extent of the injury," the lawsuit says.

After the child was treated, a physician told Thomas she needed to file a report with the health department, and to provide the monkey's vaccination status so the appropriate course of action could be taken.

The lawsuit says that Thomas made efforts "to discredit C.C. and his family and protect the monkey."

Banks is in his first season as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas assistant coach, girlfriend sued over alleged monkey bite