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Kansas Governor Criticizes KU Over Tickets Scandal; Could Players Be Involved?

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The most recent twist in the ticket scandal at the University of Kansas has the state's Governor publicly rebuking the university.  ESPN.com quotes...

The revelations triggered a stern response Thursday from Gov. Mark Parkinson.

"The news about criminal activity within KU athletics is disturbing and absolutely unacceptable," Parkinson told the AP. "I am glad to see chancellor [Bernadette] Gray-Little and the Board of Regents taking this egregious matter seriously. I know they will hold people accountable and ensure that nothing like this ever happens again."

As for embattled Athletic Director Lew Perkins, according to the Associated Press he maintains that the scandal will not cause him to resign.

Since he arrived in 2003, the Jayhawks have enjoyed their greatest growth and on-field success. A 40-year veteran of athletic administration, he was called he top executive in college sports by Time magazine just two years ago.

"I'm not quitting," Perkins told the AP. "I don't see myself going anywhere. I have a job ahead of me. It's my job to clean it up and get us back into the right frame of mind and move forward. There's always doubters out there and I respect their feelings."

The betrayal by his employees, Perkins said, was "like somebody took a hot poker and stuck it in my heart."

As news of the scandal sinks in, bloggers have looked to put its specifics into context.  SBNation's Rock Chalk Talk writes that it's important to draw the line between who is and isn't involved.

I don't believe there is any significant chance that this will result in an NCAA investigation or (less likely still) sanctions. While there was certainly some corruption in the ticket office, there doesn't appear to any connection to players or recruits. Perhaps more will come out with the connection to the Pump twins, but I tend to doubt we'll find any direct link to recruiting.

Now, what is at stake is, of course, a great deal of embarrassment for the Athletics Department, as well as a lot of unnecessary expense and distraction investigating what actually occurred.

In a commentary on SBNation Kansas City, Joel Thorman tends to agree with that line of thought but strikes a cautionary tone going forward, noting that more damaging facts could still come to light.

There is zero evidence out there that any players were involved.

....but we're not ready to rule that out quite yet.