Big 12 fines Kansas, Texas Tech $25K each over fan behavior dispute

The Big 12 fined Kansas $25,000 on Wednesday for coach Lance Leipold’s statement that a pocketknife was thrown at his staff during the Jayhawks’ game at Texas Tech last weekend.

The conference said the allegation was inaccurate and Leipold’s comments after the 42-17 loss to the Red Raiders were “disparaging.”

“Coach Leipold’s comments questioned the integrity and professionalism of both the Conference and a member institution,” Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement. “Both actions warranted a financial penalty. The Big 12 Conference prioritizes integrity and will have no further comment on the matter.”

Speaking about Tech fans' tradition of throwing tortillas onto the field, Leipold said a pocketknife was also thrown in the third quarter of the game.

“I mean it’s ridiculous,” he said in his postgame press conference. “I mean it’s supposed to be for safety and things like that. ... It’s a culture that’s been accepted to a point and it hasn’t changed and eventually someone is going to be seriously hurt unfortunately.”

Leipold apologized Wednesday for what he called “an emotional reaction” and thanked the conference for reviewing the allegation.

“I accept their findings and ultimate ruling," he said.

Kansas athletic director Travis Goff said Leipold commented before all of the facts had been collected.

The conference also fined Texas Tech $25,000 for the tortillas that were thrown onto the field.

“After a formal review, Texas Tech did not take sufficient steps to prevent and deter the repeated throwing of objects onto the field and team bench areas,” Yormark said.

The tortillas are a longtime tradition at Tech that the conference is cracking down on. Big 12 athletic directors voted 15-1 in the offseason to approve disciplining home teams for fans throwing objects onto the field. Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire has asked fans not to throw tortillas, but they did it anyway and got the Red Raiders penalized twice.

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