Jurisprudence

Sixty-five students have been offered deals to cooperate with an investigation of false financial-aid applications at the University of Miami.

Most of the 65 are in Miami’s athletic program, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Martin Goldberg said only one, whom he declined to identify, is a football player.

The early days of the federal investigation last year raised the specter of a scandal in the nation’s top-ranked football team.

But Tony Russell, a university financial-aid officer implicated in the case, has said he was acting alone in recruiting students to lie on Pell grant applications to support his cocaine habit.

Federal officials would leave them free of arrest and criminal records if they admit responsibility, pay restitution and cooperate with a grand jury examining the alleged fraud.

Twelve appeared before U.S. Magistrate Linnea Johnson to say they would accept the offer. Eleven said they could not afford an attorney and were assigned one to explain the offer.