Jim Harbaugh - Matt Weiss lawsuit explained: All we know about hacking allegations against former Michigan staff members

According to AP, former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has been added to a lawsuit against the Wolverines and a former assistant coach who is accused of hacking into the accounts of college athletes to look for intimate photos.

Attorneys in the case claim the 2023 national championship-winning head coach was aware that his assistant (Matt Weiss) was seen viewing private information, but still let him coach in a playoff game.

Let's examine the hacking allegations against former Michigan Wolverines staff members and the potential implications of the lawsuit.

All we know about the Jim Harbaugh - Matt Weiss lawsuit

According to On3 Sports, Jim Harbaugh and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel were added to the ongoing hacking lawsuit against former Michigan Wolverines assistant coach Matt Weiss. Harbaugh and Manuel's names were added on Friday in a Detroit federal court.

The report states that current Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and other members of the Michigan brass were aware of Weiss viewing private information on a computer in December 2022. However, that didn't stop Weiss from working as the Wolverines' co-offensive coordinator during a playoff game about a week later.

The lawsuit states that Matt Weiss was seen by a staff member viewing private information in Schembechler Hall about a week before the Wolverines faced the TCU Horned Frogs in the College Football Playoff. Weiss was relieved of his duties in January 2023 amid an investigation into computer usage.

Further charges against Weiss include identity theft and unauthorized computer access from 2015 to 2023. The indictment states that the former quarterbacks coach had access to social media and the cloud accounts of over 1,300 students or alumni and 2,000 college athletes, which he primarily used to allegedly find private images of women.

The report states,

"Had (Jim) Harbaugh implemented basic oversight of his staff, plaintiffs and the class would have been protected against predators such as Weiss. Instead, Weiss was a highly compensated asset that was promoted by and within the football program, from which position he was able to, and did, target female student athletes.”

Jim Harbaugh left Michigan on January 24, 2024, to join the Los Angeles Chargers in the National Football League. Matt Weiss hasn't spoken about the allegations aside from when he responded to a plaintiff's request that he be found in default for not responding to a service request.

Kindly note that this is a developing case, and further details will be made available in due time.

Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.