This story has been updated with additional information, links and video.
New video released by Texas Tech shows a Kansas football player pick up an object from a spot on the Jones AT&T Stadium sideline after a Jayhawks staff member had possibly just dropped an object at the same spot.
The object is a closed pocketknife; there’s no disagreement on that. Its origin sparked controversy during the Texas Tech football game against Kansas on Saturday, Oct. 12.
Tech athletics officials who reviewed the video circled the unidentified Kansas staff member in coaching attire and illustrated with two arrows that his right hand moved away from his pants pocket and he purportedly dropped something as he proceeded up the sideline. His actions are shown in ground-level and high-angle video.
Moments later in the high-angle video, a Kansas player coming from the other direction reached down to the same spot — illustrated by the arrows left in place — casually reached down, picked up the object and handed it to another staff member. The player walked on without pause to a Jayhawks’ sideline huddle.
The object was then given to Kansas football coach Lance Leipold, who angrily asserted after the game that one of his staff members had been hit by the pocketknife.
The video quality isn’t sharp.
The Avalanche-Journal filed an open-records request with Texas Tech on Monday, Oct. 13, seeking communications between Tech and the Big 12 related to the matter. The A-J on Wednesday received Tech athletics director Kirby Hocutt’s response to Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and the sideline videos Tech reviewed related to the moment in question.
Earlier Wednesday, the Big 12 issued $25,000 fines to both Tech and KU, as well as a public reprimand to Tech. Yormark’s statement released by the conference said, “Texas Tech did not take sufficient steps to prevent and deter the repeated throwing of objects onto the field and team bench areas.”
Tech was penalized twice during the game for objects thrown onto the playing surface, tortillas in the first instance.
Tech said its review of video found no evidence that the pocketknife was thrown from the bleachers. The conference appeared to accept that finding, saying, “Kansas has been fined for disparaging comments about the Conference and a member institution, and an inaccurate statement regarding a pocketknife by head coach Lance Leipold.”
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: More Texas Tech football video shows Kansas sideline during pocketknife discovery
Reporting by Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
