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What was Baylor assistant doing on sideline at Oklahoma-Tulsa game?
Baylor coach Art Briles said Monday he was embarrassed to find out that one of his assistant coaches was on the sideline during an Oklahoma home game, the second potential NCAA rules violation by his staff to be disclosed in as many weeks.
Briles said he wasn't aware beforehand that passing game coordinator Jeff Lebby, who is also his son-in-law, was going to be at the Sooners' game against Tulsa.
"If I had been aware, that situation would have never happened," Briles said during his weekly news conference on the Waco campus. "It's embarrassing to me, quite honestly."
When he found out, Briles said he called Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops after Saturday's game and apologized.
Stoops alluded to an NCAA rule that prohibits off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents.
"That seems to be -- that's a pretty fundamental rule. That's not allowed, so I don't know what he was doing here," Stoops said in Norman, Oklahoma. "It's something that needs to be reported and needs to be dealt with through the Big 12 office and our people. I'm sure they will. I've got a team to coach. They'll handle those matters, I'm sure, and the NCAA will."
There was no immediate response from Big 12 officials.
Briles said Lebby, an Oklahoma graduate, was there for a wedding while the fifth-ranked Bears had an open date last weekend. According to his Baylor bio, Lebby signed a national letter of intent with the Sooners in 2002 before an injury forced him to end his playing career, and then spent four years as a student assistant coach there.
The Sooners were playing Tulsa, whose first-year coach Philip Montgomery was Baylor's offensive coordinator the past three seasons after being the Bears' co-offensive coordinator four years before that. There are also some other former Baylor staff members with Tulsa.
"(Lebby) probably thought it was OK to go lounge around and see Coach Montgomery and those guys on the sideline for a few minutes, but it's not," Briles said. "In my opinion, it's unethical."
Montgomery reportedly expressed regret for his role in the situation and said he apologized to Stoops:
Philip Montgomery on Baylor assistant Jeff Lebby being on the Tulsa sideline against OU: pic.twitter.com/FJZKctiFor
— Kelly Hines (@KellyHinesTW) September 21, 2015
When asked, Briles said he didn't plan any discipline against Lebby.
Briles said Lebby's presence on the sideline for "maybe a quarter" would provide no scouting advantage when the Bears play Oklahoma on Nov. 14.
"There's not an advantage, first and foremost, in today's world. We get every film they've ever got, and they get every film we've ever got," Briles said. "It's unfortunate, I hate it. I hate it for the perception standpoint."
The night before Baylor's last game, a 66-31 win over FCS team Lamar on Sept. 12, Briles suspended offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, the head coach's son, and wide receivers coach Tate Wallis, for committing an NCAA recruiting violation.
Baylor said the two assistants committed a violation related to evaluations of prospective student-athletes during this past spring recruiting period. They were not permitted at the stadium during that game, but have since resumed their coaching duties.
