People who support Kansas Athletics Inc. and oversee the university itself are confident that investigations into potential illegal distribution of tickets for Kansas University athletics events will not lead to the discovery of widespread problems.

Dana Anderson, a major KU booster whose contributions have helped establish the Anderson Family Strength Center and the Anderson Family Football Complex, said Wednesday that he was unaware of any details that led to KU’s internal investigation, or a federal probe into the activities of Rodney Jones, an assistant athletics director who has been on administrative leave since earlier this month.

Jones, former manager of the KU Ticket Office, has been a lead fundraiser for the Williams Fund, the donor group that last year pumped about $15 million into the athletics department and affords members priority access to tickets at Memorial Stadium and Allen Fieldhouse.

“It’s a reflection on the individual,” said Anderson, who attended KU basketball games this past weekend in Oklahoma City and is vice chairman of a company that owns and manages malls across the country. “I certainly don’t think this reflects on the athletic department. I think it’s an individual who inappropriately took advantage of a situation.

“I don’t think it’s an indication of bad functioning on the part of the athletic department, I really don’t. I think we just had an individual who was in a position who could subvert the system, and apparently did.”

Gary Sherrer, vice chairman of the Kansas Board of Regents, said that he would wait for results of investigations before passing judgment.

“You cannot control the behavior of people who want to do the wrong thing,” said Sherrer, a former lieutenant governor. “You can pass all the laws, all the policies, build all the stuff into the manuals, do all kinds of computer checks, and they can still figure out a way — and most of them do get caught. …

“My great fear would be if it had any breadth and depth to it — if there were a lot of people involved and people who should have known who didn’t pay attention, those are the things that would concern me.”

Wednesday evening, Athletics Director Lew Perkins and Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little released a statement, saying the university had launched an “independent review” of both the ticket office and the Williams Fund.

“Concerns have been raised about these areas,” Perkins said in the statement. “Due to the nature of these concerns, and to protect KU’s reputation, we think a review is very appropriate. Kansas Athletics pledges total cooperation with this review.”

KU said the investigation was initiated at Perkins’ request.

“We have asked outside entities to conduct a thorough and exhaustive review,” Gray-Little said. “I anticipate that this will include a comprehensive audit of both offices. I am confident that Lew, if and when appropriate, will take swift action on the basis of the outcome of those reviews.”