Big 12 fines KU, Texas Tech, says Leipold made ‘inaccurate statement’ on pocket knife
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Big 12 fined Texas Tech and Kansas $25,000 each for postgame incidents.
- Texas Tech cited for repeated throws of objects onto the field and bench.
- Kansas penalized for coach Leipold’s disparaging remarks and “inaccurate” claim.
The Big 12 Conference announced Wednesday it has fined Texas Tech and Kansas $25,000 each.
The fines come as a resolution to the alleged pocket knife incident that occurred during Saturday’s game in Lubbock, Texas. KU coach Lance Leipold alleged a pocket knife hit a KU staff member and blasted the league office’s handling of rules surrounding objects thrown from the crowd.
The league’s fine to Texas Tech was issued for “repeated instances of objects being thrown onto the playing surface.”
Kansas’ fine was for “disparaging comments about the Conference and a member institution, and an inaccurate statement regarding a pocketknife by head coach Lance Leipold,” the league said in a statement.
“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,” said Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark in a statement. “Coach Leipold’s comments questioned the integrity and professionalism of both the Conference and a member institution. Both actions warranted a financial penalty. The Big 12 Conference prioritizes integrity and will have no further comment on the matter.”
Leipold issued an apology for what he called an “emotional reaction.” In addition to the pocket knife claims, Leipold also had a tense, profanity-laced exchange with Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire after the game.
“I appreciate the Big 12 Conference’s thorough review of events that took place during our game last Saturday at Texas Tech,” Leipold said. “I accept their findings and ultimate ruling. I had an emotional reaction in the aftermath of the game and acknowledge that I need to be better. We are excited to move forward and finish our season strong.”
Kansas athletic director Travis Goff issued a similar statement.
“The circumstances of Saturday night were unfortunate, and we take ownership of our emotionally charged response,” he said. “Further, Coach Leipold should not have addressed the matter publicly. This should have been handled privately with the conference and Texas Tech and not in the heat of the moment when we did not have all the facts.”
The Big 12 investigated the matter this week following Leipold’s claims on Saturday night. A KU Athletics official also had reiterated to The Star that a “Swiss army pocket knife” hit a Kansas staff member, leading to a penalty on the Red Raiders.
The Big 12 did not clarify which part of Leipold’s comments was inaccurate.
The Red Raiders responded to an inquiry from the conference on Monday and submitted information to the Big 12 on Monday night. A Texas Tech athletics official told The Star that the school “received a knife from a Kansas staff member” during last week’s game.
The Jayhawks lost 42-17 to Texas Tech. That game featured multiple penalties against the Red Raiders for objects being thrown from the crowd, including as part of the “tortilla toss” tradition in Lubbock.
Leipold took exception to the tradition, which is penalized under Big 12 rules. Big 12 athletic directors voted 15-1 to penalize teams for objects thrown on the field in August. The lone dissenting vote was Texas Tech
“It’s ridiculous,” Leipold said after the KU-Texas Tech game. “It’s (the rule) 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. Eventually, somebody is going to be seriously hurt, unfortunately.”
Of the league office and officials, Leipold had said:
“Our conference office — you can ask Scott Draper (Big 12 chief football and competition officer) and them — was very poor at handling it,” Leipold said. “One of the officials got hit and tried to throw a flag, but it got picked up, so that was disappointing.”
This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 1:03 PM with the headline "Big 12 fines KU, Texas Tech, says Leipold made ‘inaccurate statement’ on pocket knife."
