The Big 12 has fined Texas Tech and Kansas $25,000 each, stemming from the Red Raiders’ traditional tortilla throwing during their game on Oct. 11.
Texas Tech was fined for ‘repeated instances of objects being thrown onto the playing surface’ while Kansas was fined for comments from coach Lance Leipold about the conference, a member and ‘an inaccurate statement regarding a pocketknife.’
‘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,’ Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said 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.’
What happened with Texas Tech and Kansas?
The fines stem from Texas Tech’s 42-17 win over the Jayhawks in Week 7. Texas Tech has a decadeslong tradition of fans throwing tortillas in the air at the opening kickoff and on subsequent kickoffs.
However, prior to the season, Big 12 athletic directors voted voted 15-1 to strengthen the conference’s policy on throwing objects onto the field. The new rules state teams receive warnings for the first two violations, but then 15-yard personal foul penalties would be assessed for each subsequent violation.
Texas Tech has stood strong in keeping the tradition going for opening kickoffs, but has pleaded with fans to not toss tortillas afterward. They didn’t oblige, and it resulted in two 15-yard penalties for the Red Raiders in the contest.
After the game, Leipold and Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire appeared to have a small argument, and McGuire later said it stemmed from the tortillas thrown on the field. Leipold alleged a pocketknife was thrown and hit one of the staff members, calling it ‘ridiculous.’
‘Our conference office and (Big 12 chief football and competition officer) Scott Draper and them were very poor in handling it,’ Leipold said. ‘One of the officials almost got hit and tried to throw a flag, and it got picked up. So that was disappointing. We have a policy put in that wasn’t followed through, so I was very disappointed with how that was.’
Texas Tech coach pleads with fans to change tortilla toss
McGuire pleaded with fans to follow the rules and avoid penalties being assessed to Texas Tech ‘because it’s going to catch up to us’ if the game is close and gives opponents better field position.
‘It’s frustrating because, it’s like whenever I talk to the guys, ‘Make it about the football.’ If you get any kind of extracurricular penalties, like we had a 15-yarder late in the game, ‘Hey, you made it about you,” McGuire said. ‘If you’re throwing tortillas more than once, now it becomes all about you.
‘Is that a Red Raider? If you came to the game and you love this team and you’re passionate about this team but yet you’re going to throw another tortilla and you know it’s against the rules?’
The Texas Tech coach added they have two weeks to come up with a better plan of how to address the rules with fans. The Red Raiders host Oklahoma State on Oct. 25.