Kiffin denies FAU is using Art Briles as consultant

After Tuesday's report that Art Briles was informally helping the Florida Atlantic coaching staff with the offense, Lane Kiffin tried to put that idea to rest Wednesday.

"Somebody texted me and wanted to know why I hired Art Briles, and I was like, 'What?'" Kiffin told Chris Low of ESPN. "He's absolutely not a consultant and has never been to practice or spoken to our team. That's classic 'somebody trying to make it a story' because it's Art Briles and Lane Kiffin."

While that's a firm denial, the actual quotes Tuesday from Kiffin and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles - Art's son - never suggested Art was attending practice or speaking to the team.

In fact, Kiffin's denial ended up sounding a great deal like his original comments, that he will "text or call him (Art) and bounce something off him.

"He's a coach's dad just like mine, and I told him that his son is doing a really good job, which all dads, especially coach's dads, love to hear," Kiffin said. "An in the course of that, I've asked him a few questions because it's obviously his (offensive) system that he's run for years. So I've asked him a couple of questions about alignments of players or something like that."

While hiring Art Briles after the fallout from the Baylor sexual assault scandal may be toxic, it's completely reasonable that his son would talk to him about the offensive system he's implemented at Florida Atlantic.

Just don't call him a consultant.