Matt Weiss Indicted: Ex-Michigan Coach Faces Decades in Prison Over Nationwide Student-Athlete Hacking Scandal

Matt Weiss: From College Football Prominence to Federal Indictment

• Matt Weiss, once a rising star in college football coaching, now stands accused in one of the most far-reaching student privacy scandals in recent history.
• Indicted on 24 federal counts—including unauthorized computer access and aggravated identity theft—Weiss is alleged to have orchestrated a sophisticated hacking scheme targeting student-athlete data across the nation.
• The investigation began at the University of Michigan, where Weiss served as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach before being fired in January 2023 for noncompliance with the university’s probe.

Inside the Allegations: Decades of Digital Intrusion

Federal court documents, as reported by Reuters and ESPN, outline a disturbing pattern. Surveillance footage from December 2022 places Weiss inside the Michigan football facility during crucial hacking incidents. Prosecutors allege he exploited the university’s password-reset system, bypassing verification steps to access 46 alumni email accounts—successfully infiltrating 29 of them.

But the scope extends far beyond Ann Arbor. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Weiss’s alleged hacking activities date back to 2015 and encompass more than 100 colleges and universities. The breach compromised personal information—photos, videos, and intimate details—of approximately 150,000 student-athletes. Most distressingly, federal documents claim Weiss targeted female athletes, extracting and commenting on private images and videos, sometimes making explicit notes about their bodies and sexual preferences.

Electronic devices seized from Weiss’s office and home in early 2023 deepened investigators’ understanding of his methods. Months later, the FBI expanded its search, examining computers, phones, tablets, and USB drives for further evidence.

Legal Battle: Weiss Pleads Not Guilty as Charges Mount

Weiss, 42, maintains his innocence, pleading not guilty to all 24 counts. His attorneys recently attempted to dismiss 10 aggravated identity theft charges, arguing that using stolen passwords is akin to using a stolen house key—insufficient for an identity theft conviction. U.S. District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds, however, rejected this analogy. In her ruling, she clarified that the law covers unauthorized use of login credentials, making Weiss’s alleged actions squarely fit the definition of aggravated identity theft.

The 10 identity theft counts carry the highest potential penalties, with Weiss facing more than 70 years in prison if convicted. Beyond the criminal charges, he is also being sued by over 70 women who claim he hacked their accounts and stole their personal photos, adding a civil dimension to the mounting legal pressure.

The Broader Impact: Privacy, Trust, and College Athletics

The case has sent shockwaves through the collegiate sports world. It raises urgent questions about digital security, institutional oversight, and the vulnerability of student-athletes in an increasingly connected age. Universities are now reassessing their cybersecurity protocols, hoping to prevent similar breaches.

For the victims—many of whom are young women—the fallout is personal and profound. The prospect of intimate images being stolen and scrutinized by a trusted authority figure is a violation that transcends legal boundaries, touching on issues of dignity, safety, and trust.

As the investigation continues, public records requests seek to obtain the surveillance footage and further clarify the extent of Weiss’s actions. His tenure at Michigan, which began in February 2021 after more than a decade coaching with the Baltimore Ravens, ended abruptly, but the repercussions of his alleged conduct may ripple for years to come.

The Matt Weiss case exposes the fragile line between technological progress and personal privacy within college sports. If the allegations are proven, it will mark a watershed moment for accountability and reform—not just in football, but across every corner of higher education.