LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Kansas football coach Mark Mangino poked senior linebacker Arist Wright in the chest during a Friday walkthrough practice the day before the game at Colorado, sources told The Kansas City Star on Tuesday evening, triggering an athletic department investigation of Mangino.

On Monday night, Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins met with the entire football team to discuss concerns relating to Mangino`s treatment of student-athletes.

One of those concerns came from Wright, a starting player who sources say told Perkins of his incident with Mangino. At the meeting, where Mangino was not present, Kansas players were invited to bring information in front of a formal panel that, according to quarterback Todd Reesing, would be unbiased and from outside of the athletic department.

"I can confirm an internal review is under way," Perkins said in a statement. "It involves a personnel matter, and as a result, is confidential. It would be inappropriate for me to provide further information right now."

Mangino said Tuesday at his weekly scheduled news conference that he has not lost his team.

"Not one bit," Mangino said. "I may have lost some people around here, but it`s not the players."

Yet, with the Jayhawks riding a five-game losing streak into their game Saturday at Texas, it was one of Mangino`s players who brought his concerns to Perkins. And former players told The Kansas City Star on Tuesday that the incident between Mangino and Wright was far from an isolated occurrence.

Mangino has shown a volatile personality at different points during his eight years at Kansas. Early in his career, he was kicked out of his son`s Lawrence High football game for yelling at game officials. In 2004, he was fined $5,000 for criticizing the officials after a loss to Texas. In 2007, Mangino grabbed the facemask of Raimond Pendleton after Pendleton showboated during a punt-return touchdown in the season-opener.

Mangino verbally lambasted Pendleton, calling him a "hot dog," and the video became a YouTube sensation.

"It`s gone on for years, mistreating players like this," one former player said. "I had the worst time I`ve ever had from when I got there all the way to when I left."

Another former player said: "Mangino has made people who come to the school that loved football leave hating football. And basically it all comes from how he treats his players."

A parent of a former player told The Star there is a large organized group of former players` parents ready to air their concerns about Mangino as well.

Mangino was unavailable for comment Tuesday night about the Wright incident. Wright and Wright`s father also could not be reached for comment.