Former Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday he was unaware of cybercrimes allegedly committed by former assistant Matt Weiss until after Weiss coached his final game with the Wolverines in the 2022 College Football Playoff.
Weiss, Michigan’s quarterbacks coach in 2021 and co-offensive coordinator in 2022, was indicted on March 20 on federal criminal charges of hacking into computers at more than 100 colleges, stealing the identities and impersonating mostly female student-athletes. Weiss is accused of downloading ‘personal, intimate, digital photographs and videos’ of numerous women.
“It was after the TCU game that we — that I found out, we found out, that there was allegations,” the Los Angeles Chargers head coach told the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett on Monday in Palm Beach, Florida, at the NFL’s annual spring meeting. “And you said it, I mean indictment, that’s not a word that — sympathy for the victims and for Matt’s family. It’s shocking.”
Weiss pleaded not guilty to all 24 charges last week in Detroit’s federal court. He allegedly committed the crimes by breaking into student-athlete databases from a third-party vendor from 2015-23.
Weiss was a longtime assistant for the Baltimore Ravens under Harbaugh’s brother, John Harbaugh. Weiss was a Ravens assistant from 2009-2020, coaching in a variety of offensive and defensive roles. He was also a graduate assistant at Stanford under Harbaugh from 2005-08.
“Just really shocking,” John Harbaugh said Monday. “Shocking. Surprising. Didn’t see that one coming. Found out about it the same time everybody else did. Don’t know what to make of it. Just feel really bad for the people involved, that were affected by it. Especially his family and then the people that were victims of that. I love (Weiss’ wife) Melissa and the kids. It’s really just a disturbing situation.”
Weiss spent the past two seasons as a contractor with the Cleveland Browns and Seattle Seahawks, according to Pro Football Talk.
Two former University of Michigan athletes filed separate civil lawsuits against Weiss, school leaders, board of regents and the third-party vendor that didn’t protect them from Weiss’ alleged misconduct. They allude to being two of potentially 1,000 former student athletes in their situation and requested class-action status in their lawsuit.
The University of Michigan first started investigating potential computer crimes at Schembechler Hall, Michigan’s football building, from Dec. 21-23, 2022. Weiss was fired shortly thereafter on Jan. 20, after reports surfaced that authorities were seen at his home.