BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Florida Atlantic University gave federal authorities false numbers on how many female athletes were participating in the school's sports programs.
The Palm Beach Post reported Sunday that Florida Atlantic University told the U.S. Department of Education in 2017 that 51 percent of its athletes were women.
That was a dramatic jump from one year previously when the Boca Raton school reported that only 31 percent of its athletes were women.
The newspaper discovered that FAU counted dozens of women athletes who did not exist.
Two weeks after The Palm Beach Post asked about the discrepancy, athletic department spokeswoman Katrina McCormack acknowledged in an email that the reported number was incorrect.
Another university spokeswoman called the mistake a "clerical error."
Federal law requires universities to provide equitable opportunities for men and women in sports.
