Ann Arbor, Michigan – A significant legal challenge has emerged for the University of Michigan and former football assistant Matt Weiss, with multiple women alleging that he accessed private photos and videos by hacking into their personal accounts. This claim has led to 17 female college athletes collectively filing lawsuits against both Weiss and the university.
The accusations center around Weiss allegedly breaching a secure database to retrieve athletes’ passwords, subsequently infiltrating their personal cloud and social media accounts where private materials were stored. The lawsuit implicates not only Weiss but also Michigan’s Board of Regents and Keffer Development Services, the database manager, claiming a compromise that dates back several years.
Initially surfacing on Wednesday, the federal class action includes complaints from 10 former student-athletes affiliated with the University of Michigan – among them, gymnasts, soccer players, and a cheerleader – plus others from the University of Maryland and Loyola University Chicago.
In March, federal authorities charged Weiss with 24 counts related to computer hacking and unauthorized access, an investigation that concluded with his dismissal in January 2023. Although the criminal charges are recent, the alleged unauthorized access is reported to have begun as early as 2015, during Weiss’s tenure with the Baltimore Ravens.
According to official reports, Weiss infiltrated the Keffer Development Services system, initially tapping into a database primarily used for storing college athletes’ medical information. From this initial breach, he purportedly utilized the stolen data to hack into various other platforms that the victims used for personal communications and storing photos and videos.
Weiss, who served as assistant coach under both the Michigan and Ravens’ banners, held the position of co-offensive coordinator for Michigan in the 2022 season, after working as the team’s quarterbacks coach in 2021. Prior to his roles at Michigan, he was a long-time staff member of the Baltimore Ravens, with his professional ties notably including work under John Harbaugh, brother to Jim Harbaugh who is a former Michigan coach.
The legal proceedings are now potentially opening a broader examination into how collegiate sports organizations safeguard personal and sensitive athlete data. This lawsuit could have ramifications not just for those directly involved, but also for policies and protections across sports programs nationwide.
This evolving story continues to send ripples across the collegiate athletics community, raising urgent questions about privacy, data protection, and institutional responsibility.
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