"Coach Knight's actions after being ejected violated the Conference Sportsmanship Rules," said Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe. "Once a coach is ejected from a contest, he or she must immediately depart from the court or field of play, and it is a serious violation not to do so. Coach Knight's actions in this case would have resulted in a more significant penalty if not for his past exemplary behavior, his acknowledgment of his mistake and his commitment to me to conduct his program with sportsmanship."

Commissioner Beebe noted that the Big 12 has a program in place to review the performance of game officials that includes the accuracy of judgment calls and that the coaches are given the opportunity to provide input. The season-long system of evaluation determines whether or not an official will receive future assignments to work Big 12 games.