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NEWS WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
TICKET SCANDAL
Former assistant AD enters guilty plea
A second former employee has
entered a guilty
tried a guilty plea in the KU athletics ticket scandal.
Brandon Simmons, former assistant athletic director of sales and marketing, entered his
Simmons
guilty plea Thursday morning at the federal courthouse in Wichita. Former assistant director of ticket operations Jason Jeffries entered his guilty plea July 14.
Both confessed that they were aware of the illegal sale of more than S1 million worth of tickets since 2005.
In a plea agreement, they agree to help authorities build a case against the other four employees found to be involved in the scandal: Charlette Blubaugh, former associate athletics director of ticket operations and her husband, Tom Blubaugh; Rodney Jones, former assistant athletics director for the Williams Educational Fund; and Ben Kirtland, former head of fundraising for Kansas Athletics Inc. and associate athletic director for development.
District Judge Wesley E. Brown,
the oldest district judge in the country at 103 years old, heard both Simmons' and Jeffries' cases after all three district judges in Topeka excused themselves without explanation.
Brown is charged with misprision for concealing and not reporting ticket thefts. Misprision is a felony punishable by up to three years in prison with a year of parole and a $250,000 fine.
The sentencing for Simmons and Jeffries is scheduled for September 29.
Carey Thibodeaux and Tim Dwyer
COLLEGE BASEKETBALL
NCAA unveils new 68-team tourney
Since the spring announcement that the NCAA men's basketball tournament would expand to 68 teams, there has been speculation on how exactly the format would play out.
Speculate no more.
The NCAA announced the format July 12, unveiling a "First Four" round of four games. The bottom
four teams in the tournament will play in two of those games in games similar to the current play-in format.
The other two first-round games will be played by the last four teams to receive
at-large bids. They will play for whatever seed the committee deems they have earned. For
example, two at-large teams that would have received a 12 seed will play in the first round to earn a spot in the traditional 5 seed vs. 12 seed game.
The format has received a relatively warm reception considering the initial aversion to a 68-team field exhibited by media across the country.
Tim Dwyer
Don's Auto Center
Lawrence's local repair shop | 11th & Haskell | 841-485.
FOOTBALL
injury takes Spikes out of 2010 season
Junior offensive tackle Jeff Spikes
will miss the
entire 2010 season with a lower leg injury, head coach Turner Gill confirmed July 13.
Spikes
Spikes started 10 games in 2009 and started all
13 of his freshman campaign. His 23 starts rank third most among
active players, but Spikes was not listed as the top option at either tackle position on the post-spring practice depth chart. Sophomore Tanner Hawkinson is, at the moment, listed as the No. 1 left tackle with senior Brad Thorson lining up opposite him on the right side. Spikes had been listed as Thorson's backup.
Spikes redshirted his first year at Kansas but could be granted a sixth year of eligibility with a medical redshirt this season.
Tim Dwyer
NFL
Kennison signs deal with KC, to retire as Chief
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Wide receiver Eddie Kennison has signed a contract with Kansas City so he can retire as a member of the Chiefs.
Kennison played in 91 games for Kansas City, from 2001 through 2007.
in 1999, Chicago in 2000, Denver
He ranks seventh in team history with 5,230 yards receiving. eighth with 321 receptions and fourth with 17 games with at least 100 yards receiving.
Kennison was a first-round draft pick in 1996 by St. Louis, where he played until 1998. He played for New Orleans
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