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

The Big 12 fined Kansas and Texas Tech $25,000 each on Wednesday for the fallout of a dispute over fan behavior in the Red Raiders' 42-17 win in Lubbock on Saturday.

Jayhawks coach Lance Leipold also apologized for statements he made after the game.

Texas Tech was twice penalized during the game for fans throwing tortillas onto the field, an old tradition that was banned by the Big 12 before the season.

The rowdy scene at Jones AT&T Stadium led to a postgame dust-up between Leipold and Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire with Leipold chastising McGuire for the fans' behavior. In postgame video, McGuire can be seen telling Leipold, «Coach, I can't do anything about it. You want me to do something [expletive] about it?»

In postgame comments, Leipold complained that the officials should have done more to stop the fans from throwing things, but said the league handled it poorly and alleged that officials were forced to pick up a flag. He also also claimed a fan threw a knife at a Kansas staffer.

«A pocket knife was thrown and hit one of our staff members,» Leipold said after the game. «It's ridiculous. It's supposed to be for safety and things like that, and it's a culture that's been accepted to a point, and it hasn't changed. Eventually, somebody's going to be seriously hurt, unfortunately.»

Texas Tech submitted footage to the league this week that proved the claim to be inaccurate.

The Big 12 said Tech's fine was for the objects thrown onto the playing surface, while Kansas' was for disparaging comments about the conference and «an inaccurate statement regarding a pocketknife by head coach Lance Leipold.»

«After a formal review, Texas Tech did not take sufficient steps to prevent and deter the repeated throwing of objects onto