Michigan State's Bitter Rival Michigan's AD, Former Coach Added to Lawsuit

Michigan State's bitter rival, Michigan, continues to face scrutiny.

Dec 4, 2021; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

More turmoil was added to the plate of Michigan State's rival, Michigan, back in March when former co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for football, Matt Weiss, was charged with hacking into a number of student-athletes' computer accounts, unauthorized computer access and identity theft.

That lawsuit has entered a new stage, as Ed White of the Associated Press reported on Friday that former Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel have been added to it.

Per White, "Attorneys claim Harbaugh ... and others knew that Matt Weiss was seen viewing private information on a computer in December 2022 but still allowed him to continue working as co-offensive coordinator in a national playoff game roughly a week later."

Weiss was fired in January 2023. According to White, "The lawsuit says a staff member saw Weiss viewing private information at Schembechler Hall, headquarters for the football team, around Dec. 21, 2022," and did report it before the TCU game.

“Had Harbaugh implemented basic oversight of his staff, plaintiffs and the class would have been protected against predators such as Weiss,” the lawsuit says, per White. “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.”

The U.S. Attorney's Office revealed details of the charges back in March:

"According to the indictment, between approximately 2015 and January 2023, Weiss gained unauthorized access to student athlete databases of more than 100 colleges and universities that were maintained by a third-party vendor.

"After gaining access to these databases, Weiss downloaded the personally identifiable information and medical data of more than 150,000 athletes. Using the information that he obtained from the student athlete databases and his own internet research, Weiss was able to obtain access to the social media, email, and/or cloud storage accounts of more than 2,000 target athletes.

"Weiss also illegally obtained access to the social media, email, and/or cloud storage accounts of more than 1,300 additional students and/or alumni from universities across the country.

"Once Weiss obtained access to these accounts, he downloaded personal, intimate digital photographs and videos that were never intended to be shared beyond intimate partners."

Weiss pleaded not guilty.

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