"Bears wide receiver Devin Hester was one of several former University of Miami football players who received illegal benefits from a former Hurricanes booster in an ''eight-year run of rampant NCAA rule-breaking,'' according to an investigation by Yahoo! Sports.

Nevin Shapiro, 42, of Miami Beach, was sentenced in June to a 20-year prison term after being convicted of securities fraud and money laundering as part of a $930??million Ponzi scheme.

In an online report that resulted from an exhaustive, 11-month investigation by Yahoo! Sports, Shapiro said he spent millions of dollars on benefits for at least 72 athletes at Miami from 2002 to 2010 — including, according to Yahoo!, ''cash, prostitutes, entertainment in his multi-million-dollar homes and yacht, paid trips to high-end restaurants and nightclubs, jewelry, bounties for on-field play (including bounties for injuring opposing players), travel and on one occasion, an abortion.''

The report said Hester, who played for Miami from 2003 to '05, received an engagement ring and cash for rims on his SUV from Shapiro. Hester also was among several players who received ''suits and clothing'' and ''lodging on Shapiro's yacht or in his homes,'' the report said.

The report included a picture of Hester and former Hurricanes star Vince Wilfork with Shapiro in the VIP section of the Opium Gardens nightclub in Miami Beach in 2003. "