If you don’t remember the recent Tortilla tradition gone wrong at Texas Tech, then you need to up your college football game knowledge. A jolly-spirited tradition nearly turned fatal when one of Lance Leipold’s staff members was nearly hit with a pocket knife, as the Jayhawks HC claimed. Soon, a heated exchange between Lance and Joey McGuire followed, but little did they know that a hefty $25,000 check was awaiting them.

“You want me to do something (expletive) about it?” McGuire had yelled at the Kansas HC. Underneath the heated exchange, there burned a concern for safety and roster penalties. Red Raider (who faced a 15-yard personal foul penalty, due to fans’ defiance and Lance’s criticism of the conference) proved costly.

“Tech’s fine is for repeated instances of objects being thrown onto the playing surface,” the Big 12 statement read. According to the Big 12’s latest policy, fans were not permitted to throw them after the opening kickoff, or else the roster would face a penalty. The Red Raiders were penalized twice.

In the beloved tortilla tradition, fans throw tortillas and objects in the air during the kickoffs. The Red Raiders were an overexcited bunch and blatantly disregarded the new rule. Lance was shocked by this behavior and lost his temper when “a pocket knife was thrown, and it hit one of our staff members,” he claimed.

Lance Leipold had said that the conference officials failed to stop the fans from throwing the objects. “It’s supposed to be for safety and things like that. And it’s a culture that’s been accepted to a point and hasn’t changed,” urging them that somebody might get hurt. So he was fined.  “While Kansas has been fined for disparaging comments about the conference and an inaccurate statement regarding a pocketknife by head coach Lance Leipold.”

The official statement further stated that Coach Leipold’s comments questioned the integrity and professionalism of both the conference and the member Institution. “Both actions warranted a financial penalty. The Big 12 Conference prioritizes integrity and will have no further comment on the matter.”

Leipold has given his reaction to the punishment.

The Ultimate ruling

A thorough investigation was conducted to find out the developments of that night. A thorough review concluded with the incoming fine. “I appreciate the Big 12 Conference’s thorough review of events that took place during our game last Saturday at Texas Tech,” Lance Leipold said in an official statement…I accept their findings and ultimate ruling,” he added. “I had an emotional reaction in the aftermath of the game and acknowledged that I need to be better.”

Kansas’s AD Travis Goff reiterated on similar lines, stating that they take the responsibility for their emotionally charged response. Further saying that it should not have been addressed publicly. And not in the “heat of the moment when we did not have all the facts.”

Meanwhile, Texas Tech got frustrated as well. The Red Raiders are coming off a good, undefeated start so far, going 6-0 in the season. The frustration was squarely aimed at the fandom. “It’s frustrating because it’s like whenever I talk to the guys, ‘Make it about the football.’” Joey McGuire spoke to the press. “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.

He continued. “If you’re throwing tortillas more than once, now it becomes all about you.” The fact that this proposal was being considered. During the board of directors meeting, Texas Tech’s director Kirby Hocutt was the lone dissent to the latest proposal. It was passed with 15-1 votes, wanting to defend the tradition. But it’s his own roster, penalized for fans’ mistakes.