Kansas chancellor says federal probe did not figure in abrupt retirement of athletic director

Chancellor says probe no role in AD Perkins’ exit

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The chancellor at the University of Kansas says the abrupt retirement of athletic director Lew Perkins was not connected with a federal investigation into a ticket scam.

Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little spoke with The Associated Press on Thursday.

Perkins had said he would retire in September 2011. But in a surprise move Tuesday, he and Gray-Little announced that he was retiring immediately. Perkins has not spoken publicly.

Details of the scam surfaced in May, when school officials released a report that said five Kansas athletics employees and a consultant — none of whom are still employed by the school — sold or used at least 17,609 men’s basketball tickets, 2,181 football tickets and a number of parking passes and other passes for personal purposes. The estimated losses were between $1 million and $3 million.