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A Kansas Jayhawks staffer was hit by a knife thrown from the crowd during their defeat at Texas Tech over the weekend, according to head coach Lance Leipold.
The Red Raiders earned a 42-17 victory over the Jayhawks on Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium, where fans typically launch tortillas onto the field as part of a long-running Texas Tech tradition.
Yet the Mexican flour bread wasn't the only item thrown from the stands, with one unidentified spectator allegedly hitting a Kansas employee with a pocket knife during the ritual. The incident resulted in one of two penalty flags thrown by referees against the home team for fan behavior.
'It’s ridiculous,' Leipold said about the ugly moment. 'It’s supposed to be for safety and things like that. It’s been a culture that’s been accepted to a point, and it hasn’t changed. Eventually, somebody’s going to be seriously hurt, unfortunately.'
According to David Collier of Red Raider Nation, Texas Tech confirmed that a closed pocket knife was discovered on the Kansas sideline during Saturday's game.
It was reportedly handed over to school officials, who then turned it in to the Texas Tech Police Department. The school's athletics department is said to be going through gameday video to try and identify the culprit.
A Kansas staffer was hit by a knife thrown during Texas Tech's long-running tortilla tradition
Jayhawks coach Lance Leipold (R) had a furious exchange with Red Raiders rival Joey McGuire
WARNING - Strong language
Leipold was heard getting into a curse-filled shouting match with opposite number Joey McGuire over the tortilla throwing on Saturday.
As they embraced on the field before the game, the Kansas coach told McGuire: 'That's bulls***!'
'I can't do anything about it,' McGuire replied. 'You want me to do something a-f***ing-bout it?'
While Big 12 teams voted 15-1 to ban Texas Tech's tradition this past offseason, it hasn't stopped fans from throwing them onto the field on gamedays. However, the pocket-knife incident may well force college football chiefs to take a harder stance.
The tortilla tradition began more than 30 years ago after an ESPN announcer famously joked that Lubbock, Texas, 'had nothing but Texas Tech football and a tortilla factory.'
Since that memorable quote, Red Raiders fans have brought tortillas to games and throwing them on the field prior to kickoff.
