Correction: Court Storming-Safety story
Seven months after toughening penalties for schools whose fans rush onto the field of play, the Big 12 Conference said Friday it will not discipline Iowa State after students stormed the court following a basketball game in a scene that left a newspaper columnist with a broken leg.
Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register was knocked over while walking from press row to a postgame news conference Thursday after fans rushed the court in nearby Ames following Iowa State's 83-82 home win over rival Iowa.
The league passed a measure in May allowing it to fine member schools — even taking away a future home game if necessary — for failing to keep fans from storming courts or rushing fields after games.
The measure came on the heels of an ugly incident in February at Kansas State, where Kansas coach Bill Self was pushed up against a press table after the Wildcats beat the Jayhawks.
Lou Marciani, the director of the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security at Southern Mississippi, said the first priority for a university in such incidents is to ensure that the players, coaches and officials are immediately protected by getting them to their locker rooms safely.