Big 12 fines Texas Tech for repeated tortilla throwing, Kansas for disparaging comments about conference

The Big 12 announced Wednesday it has fined both Texas Tech and Kansas following the Red Raiders' 42-17 win against the Jayhawks in Week 7. Texas Tech was tagged for "repeated instances of objects being thrown onto the playing surface," while Kansas incurred a penalty after coach Lance Leipold publicly critiqued both Texas Tech and the Big 12 for their handling of Tech's tortilla-tossing tradition. 

"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. 

"The Big 12 Conference prioritizes integrity and will have no further comment on the matter." 

Texas Tech was assessed two separate 15-yard personal foul penalties when fans threw tortillas onto the field following kickoffs while the game was being played. Fans have tossed tortillas onto the field inside Jones AT&T Stadium for decades. 

But the issue reached a head in the offseason when Big 12 athletic directors voted 15-to-1 to crack down on the league's enforcement policy against foreign objects being thrown onto the field. Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire and Leipold got into a heated exchange on the field following Saturday's game. 

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Leipold stated after the game he thought the tortilla-related incidents were handled "very poorly" by the Big 12's officials. 

"One of the officials almost got hit and he tried to throw a flag and it got picked up so that was disappointing," Leipold said. "We have a policy put in that wasn't followed through, so that was very disappointing on how that was... I know the officials were just as frustrated after the one penalty was picked up." 

Leipold also claimed that a pocketknife hit one of his staff members when it was thrown from the crowd. The Big 12 called that an "inaccurate statement."