A minor story in Oklahoma’s season-ending win over TCU to give the Sooners a share of the Big 12 title was the personal foul penalty on OU lineman Tyrus Thompson.
Thompson was flagged for unnecessary roughness for punching TCU defensive end Stansly Maponga twice in the head at the end of a play during the second quarter. However, Thompson was not ejected (though he should have been).
Here’s footage of the punch and here’s the video that shows Thompson was hit first by Maponga (at around the :40 mark). Still, there’s no excuse for Thompson’s actions. However, he will not face any additional punishment and can still play in the Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M.
“No further action will be taken by the conference and the matter is considered closed,” Bob Burda, Big 12 assistant commissioner of communications, wrote in an email to ESPN.
Unacceptable. This never should have been left up to the Big 12 to begin with and how the conference did not interpret that as something other than worthy of a suspension is stunning.