No matter how the Texas Longhorns inaugural season in the SEC winds up, special teams coach Jeff Banks will be exiting 2024 with a brand new ring on his finger.
It just so happens to be a wedding band.
The special teams and tight ends coach in Austin recently married longtime partner Danielle Thomas — better known by her stage name, Pole Assassin — according to Banks’ Instagram page.
If that name sounds familiar, it’s likely because you remember hearing about a wild incident with Thomas’ emotional support monkey allegedly biting a trick-or-treater back on Halloween in 2021.
Here’s a quick reminder from FTW’s story on the controversy as it unfolded:
While the allegations suggest the Bankses’ monkey injured a trick-or-treater, Thomas was quick to dispel rumors of an aggressive attack. However, she did acknowledge an incident involving a child and the family’s pet (as seen in the screenshot above).
Thomas claimed in a now-deleted video posted Monday night the family’s monkey was caged in a gated area behind the home no one was allowed to access.
“I don’t even play when it comes to my animals and I know all the legal rules on them,” Thomas said in the video while showing a do-not-enter/no-touching sign on the gate. “How could she viciously bite someone if they don’t stick their hand in there where it don’t belong? This is her home and her home only … Don’t touch. No one’s allowed back here without my permission.”
It does not appear the monkey received an invitation to the ceremony, which is probably for the best. The three deserve to celebrate together in the comfort of their home.
