Texas' Steve Sarkisian: Viral Monkey Story Involving Assistant Isn't a 'Distraction'

The Texas Longhorns football team has a lot to worry about, but the recent story about a monkey bite is not one of them.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian addressed the viral story Thursday:

There were online reports that a monkey belonging to Danielle Thomas, the girlfriend of Texas assistant head coach Jeff Banks, bit a child at their home on Halloween night.

Austin Animal Services confirmed there was a report of a monkey biting a child on Sunday and they are currently investigating the situation, per Katie Hall of the Austin American-Statesman. 

Thomas seemingly referenced the situation on Twitter before her account was deleted.

"I had a haunted house on one side gated off ... I had no idea he went in my back yard," she wrote on Twitter. "Neither did I know anything about a bite! Until a doctor of neighborhood told me." 

Banks is in his first year at Texas, serving as an assistant head coach, special teams coordinator and tight ends coach. He followed Sarkisian from Alabama, where he spent three years on Nick Saban's staff.

The head coach doesn't believe this story will affect the team, but it's one more thing to worry about after three straight losses dropped the Longhorns to 4-4 on the year. Texas is set to face Iowa State on Saturday.