KU ticket scandal

[TheBigChuckbowski]

Have your fun. Both of you. Still worried more about KU than your teams. Typical.

It's May. What else is there to talk about?

[KCPowercat]

we only talk of positive ku things...wait, this isn't the Star's editorial board.

want to break down ksu's regional matchup vs. Wazzu instead?

[LenexatoKCMO]

Nobody meaning no one that matters. The FBI? Who cares?

The FBI is investigating a couple former employees - not the KUADpt.  I know such distinctions seem trivial when you are a jealous hater trying to work yourself up into a lather, but they are important when viewing the reality of the situation.  Kind of like realizing the distinction with the headline "Lew Perkins responds to blackmail allegations" is addressing allegations that someone attempted to blackmail him, not that he attempted to blackmail someone.  Hard to know why the paper would publish such a misleading headline when they are in an ongoing cover-up conspiracy with KU.  &&&&  Or could it possibly be that they wish to milk these stories for every bit of KSU/MU angst they possibly can.  

[KCPowercat]

no free stuff in your house = no blackmail

[LenexatoKCMO]

no free stuff in your house = no blackmail

No actual rules broken = telling blackmailer to go fuck himself.

[KCPowercat]

that's not what that email said

[TheBigChuckbowski]

I know such distinctions seem trivial when you are a jealous hater trying to work yourself up into a lather, but they are important when viewing the reality of the situation.

Says the guy, who, a page ago, posted a completely unsubstantiated rumor about a rival coach and his dealings with an organization that KU is also involved with.

[LenexatoKCMO]

that's not what that email said

This one? 

On April 15, 2010, Dent e-mailed McAllister, saying that he was going to go public with his information. According to the newspaper, Dent received a certified letter from McAllister the same day saying that Perkins was cutting off communication and warning Dent that Perkins had gone to the police and that blackmail is a felony.

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/05/31/19 ... enter.html

Pretty much sounds like a go fuck yourself to me. 

[phna]

Was there a thread for the Colorado Football sex scandal?


sex = scandal
tickets= sex (aka blackmail)

.: tickets = scandal.

That's all I need to know.

&&&

[KCPowercat]

4/13 email to dent from lew's attorney "mr. Perkins willingness to purchase these items from you, and his willingness to engage in any further negoatiations about this matter, will terminate if you desseminate any statements or information about this private matter to anyone"

if it's blackmail where you have nothing to hide, why send that email?  Go right to the authorities.  'this private matter' is the equipment for ticket swap fyi

cjonline.com/sports/basketball/2010-05-30/details_of_alleged_blackmail_surface

no doubt if you just read the star you could come away with the impression that big lew is nothing more than a victim.

[phna]

^^^ as reported

"The Capital-Journal obtained e-mails and letters that show Dent threatened to go public with the alleged ticket swap if he did not receive compensation for the cost of storing the equipment. (Dent had taken the equipment back from Perkins in April 2009 and was storing it in Topeka, according to the newspaper. It is unclear why Perkins gave the equipment to Dent.)"

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/05/31/19 ... z0pjY5dceu

[LenexatoKCMO]

4/13 email to dent from lew's attorney "mr. Perkins willingness to purchase these items from you, and his willingness to engage in any further negoatiations about this matter, will terminate if you desseminate any statements or information about this private matter to anyone"

That email doesn't acknowledge anything about any ticket swap now does it?  These were business negotiations until Mr. Dent introduced the blackmail element; how is insisting on negotiation confidentiality an admission of guilt?  

[KCPowercat]

there are obviously more emails and information than that one.....ya think? "...followed months of correspondence between him and a former Kansas Athletics employee...E-mails and letters obtained by The Topeka Capital-Journal show the employee, William Dent, threatened to go public with the ticket-equipment swap allegations if he wasn't paid for what he says was the cost of storing the equipment.." - cjonline

It's OK man, you are going down with the Lew ship....gotta give you props on that one.  I'm with you kind of though, I hope he weasels out and stays around.

[LenexatoKCMO]

there are obviously more emails and information than that one.....ya think?  

Most importantly, the certified letter telling Dent to f' off.

It's OK man, you are going down with the Lew ship....gotta give you props on that one. 

Each additional day that it doesn't happen has to decrease the odds substantially

[KCPowercat]

Good enough...can't wait to see what the future brings...really spices up a dead sports season (sorry Royals).

I am a bit shocked you find all this stuff cool and claim to think there was absolutely no wrongdoing by Lew or the AD (except the 6 fired).

[LenexatoKCMO]

Good enough...can't wait to see what the future brings...really spices up a dead sports season (sorry Royals).

I am a bit shocked you find all this stuff cool and claim to think there was absolutely no wrongdoing by Lew or the AD (except the 6 fired).

It sucks that these folks stole from the uni no doubt, but unless there is some basis to believe Lew had reason to know it was going on, I don't lay fault at his door.  His outside auditors told him everthing was fine year after year; should a chief executive be held responsible for theft by corporate underlings when when it happened under the nose of the audit presented to him?  The guy has done a hell of a job, nearly doubling revenue, dramatically improving facilities, and raising expectations accross all sports.  I'll stand behind him until there is clear cause - he has earned that much in my book. 

[KCPowercat]

Audit (especially externals) don't know your business 1% of what the people working there do....this audit excuse is a joke.  Audits don't make you bulletproof, they provide reasonable assurances.  C levels are held responsible for corporate theft....and in an Athletic Department and your AD hired crooks and violated state ethic guidelines...to me he'd have quite a bit of responsibility in that....it may not come out that he had "reason to know" what was going on...I think the real question would be "should he have known"

[bobbyhawks]

Audit (especially externals) don't know your business 1% of what the people working there do....this audit excuse is a joke.  Audits don't make you bulletproof, they provide reasonable assurances.  C levels are held responsible for corporate theft....and in an Athletic Department and your AD hired crooks and violated state ethic guidelines...to me he'd have quite a bit of responsibility in that....it may not come out that he had "reason to know" what was going on...I think the real question would be "should he have known"

That is a very good point.  I have to admit that I hope Lew stays around, but there have been numerous types of legislation imposed upon public companies, utilities, etc., that basically identify a hierarchy for corporate responsibility.  At a publicly traded company, a CEO or CFO can go to jail or pay large fines if they oversee a situation in which fraud occurs (they can also sue their auditors to high heaven if they missed something).

Ultimately, I don't want to believe Lew had anything to do with this, and I am not 100% sure how easily this scam could have been detected through the info he runs through.  Lew was no doubt looking at the ticket sales numbers in lump sums, which probably looked fine from report to report since they were steadily climbing.  I believe that the actual tickets themselves are a small part of Lew's major goals for bringing in revenue.  An auditor should absolutely catch this.  No excuses.  KU pays these people a lot of money so that Lew and Co. can cover their behinds when things go bad.  Instead, they are now being fileted by the same type of auditors who didn't catch the situation to begin with.  Lew is in a bad spot, but I don't think the Uni can turn its back on him.

He may be responsible due to lack of attention to detail, which is no small issue, and this does say something about a culture that was allowed to flourish.  I still believe that Lew's strengths have never resided in his ability to micromanage budgets and instill values.  They are in thinking big picture, in creating quality relationships with those outside the school, in bringing in donations, and in providing quality facilities for the students.  These I believe are very important qualities.  If he does stay around, he must bring someone in to be an accountability and ethics hawk.  If he doesn't, KU will be in a pretty sorry spot, left with the issues which have come to light and no guiding voice.

[KCPowercat]

nobody has any idea what auditors were charged with looking it.  Falling back on 'audit didn't catch it' is a joke and frankly a pretty big cause to be fire in itself

[MoMan]

nobody has any idea what auditors were charged with looking it.  Falling back on 'audit didn't catch it' is a joke and frankly a pretty big cause to be fire in itself