Texas Tech athletics officials confirmed Monday that they have launched an investigation into allegations that a pocket knife was thrown from the stands during Saturday's game against Kansas at AT&T Stadium.
According to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, the knife hit Jayhawks staff member.
The Big 12 reportedly asked Texas Tech to file a report on the matter, which led to the opening of an investigation.
"The Big 12 has asked us to respond to that," Red Raiders senior associate athletics director Robert Giovannetti said. "We are working on ... probably several hours yesterday, most of the morning today looking at video of the sideline to present our report back to them."
Texas Tech was penalized twice during the game, each time after previous warnings, for objects being thrown from the stands. Jayhawks coach Lance Leipold angrily confronted Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire about the situation after the game, saying the Big 12 crowd-control policy was handled "very poorly."
Giovannetti confirmed that Texas Tech officials did identify a pocket knife being thrown from the stands in the fourth quarter.
"It was a pocket knife. Closed," Giovannetti said. "That's what it looked like. ... I held it in my hand."
"They (KU personnel) told us that a knife had been thrown on their sideline," Giovannetti said. "After we had scored a touchdown, kicked off, sometime in that time frame, when there was still smoke on the field, they told us then that had happened."
McGuire has encouraged fans to passionate about the game asked them to adhere to Big 12 policy, saying that Saturday's incidents could hurt the team as they try to win the Big 12.
"For us to do that," he said, "we need everybody on our side, and it's going to take everybody, all of us. So anything that you're taking away from that, are you really all in? Are you one of us? Are you all about the Red Raiders? Are you that passionate doing it this way, and this is the way we have to do it to go win? Or is it going to be about you?"
