See video Texas Tech sent Big 12 of alleged pocket knife incident vs. Kansas
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Texas Tech submitted video and letter to Big 12 regarding alleged pocket knife incident.
- Big 12 fined both schools $25,000 and cited an inaccurate statement made by KU coach.
- Video clarity remained poor; Texas Tech said it gave footage to police for enhancement.
Hours after the Big 12 Conference announced Wednesday it had fined Texas Tech and Kansas $25,000 each, The Star obtained the letter and video footage Texas Tech sent to the league office regarding an alleged incident during Saturday night’s game.
Kansas coach Lance Leipold, in the aftermath of the game, alleged a pocket knife was thrown and struck a KU staff member. The Big 12 said it was fining KU in part because of an “inaccurate statement” from Leipold “regarding a pocketknife.”
Video obtained by The Star appears to shed light on that statement.
Texas Tech’s letter to the Big 12, addressed by athletic director Kirby Hocutt, states:
“The best possible video available to us ... shows a Kansas student athlete reach down to pick up an object, now identified as the small pocketknife (in the closed position) in question, on the field apron near the 38-yard line, and immediately hand the object to a KU staff member. We believe this video makes it clear where the pocketknife originated, which will disprove all claims that it may have been thrown from the stands, and certainly makes it clear that it did not hit any member of KU’s staff on the sideline.
“There also did not appear to be any reaction by anyone on KU’s sideline of it being thrown on to the field prior to it being picked up.”
The video itself is unclear. It’s hard to see exactly what happens, beyond the details of a KU player picking up the alleged object, handing it to a staff member and that staff member getting Leipold’s attention.
Texas Tech said in its letter the video was turned over to local law enforcement for further assistance in enhancing it. The letter also says that the “only reports” of an object being thrown into the bench area by home fans are “conflicting hearsay accounts” by KU staff members.
Included in Texas Tech’s letter is a screenshot of a WhatsApp message from a KU staff member that says the pocket knife “landed on the 45 yard line right near field of play.”
Shortly before that message, another Kansas staff member said, “We just had a knife thrown into our bench.”
Neither of those aspects is shown in the video.
This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 5:56 PM with the headline "See video Texas Tech sent Big 12 of alleged pocket knife incident vs. Kansas."
