Big 12 Fines Kansas Over Wild Pocket Knife Incident

The Big 12 has issued a penalty on the University of Kansas after an investigation into Saturday's weird pocket knife controversy ... with the conference announcing video evidence paints a different picture than what the Jayhawks coach claimed after the game.

ICYMI, Lance Leipold stated after his Jayhawks lost in a blowout to the Red Raiders that a sharp object hit one of his staff members while standing on the away team sideline.

"It's ridiculous. It's supposed to be for safety and things like that, and it's a culture that's been accepted to a point, and it hasn't changed," he said. "Eventually, somebody's going to be seriously hurt, unfortunately."

Texas Tech, of course, was quick to look into the matter. After its own review ... the school submitted footage to the conference that seemingly shows someone on Kansas' bench dropping the knife.

Brett Yormark -- the Big 12 Commissioner -- sided with Tech's takeaway from the video, saying Leipold's comments "questioned the integrity and professionalism of both the Conference and a member institution."

The ruling resulted in Kansas being fined $25,000.

The Red Raiders' side wasn't fully cleared of any wrongdoing -- as the school got a slap on the wrist for a tortilla-throwing tradition students started back in the 1990s.

While the students love it, the Big 12 does not ... handing down a $25,000 penalty for "repeated instances of objects being thrown onto the playing surface."