Ex-NFL coach targeted 3,300 students to steal private images: Feds

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Craig Nigrelli Anchor

By Craig Nigrelli (Anchor), William Jackson (Producer), Kaleb Gillespie (Video Editor)

Federal prosecutors charged an ex-Michigan football coach with hacking into college students’ accounts, compromising over 3,300 individuals’ data. Weiss allegedly exploited university authentication systems.
Prosecutors said Weiss targeted female athletes, downloading private content and keeping notes on their physical traits and preferences.
Weiss faces 14 counts of unauthorized access and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft, with potential sentences totaling decades.

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Federal prosecutors charged former University of Michigan football coach Matt Weiss with hacking into the accounts of more than 3,300 college students to access private photos and videos.

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A federal indictment filed in Michigan includes 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft.

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How did Weiss allegedly gain access?

According to the indictment, Weiss accessed a third-party database used by over 100 colleges and universities to store student-athlete data. He allegedly used stolen credentials and cracked encryption to download personal data, including medical records and passwords.

Investigators said Weiss used that information to reset or guess social media, email and cloud account login credentials.

He targeted female athletes, downloading content that was not publicly shared and keeping notes on their physical traits and sexual preferences.

How many students were affected?

Prosecutors said Weiss compromised the accounts of more than 2,000 athletes and an additional 1,300 students or alumni nationwide.

He exploited security weaknesses in university authentication systems to gain access, often by researching personal details such as birthplaces, pet names or family information.

What happens next in the case?

Weiss has not yet entered a plea, and court records do not list an attorney.

If convicted, he faces up to five years for each unauthorized access charge and a mandatory two-year sentence for each identity theft count.

What is Weiss’ coaching background?

Weiss joined the University of Michigan in 2021 after 12 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. He previously coached at Stanford University.

Michigan fired him in early 2023 after an internal investigation into the computer access allegations. His former colleagues include Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, who led Michigan at the time of Weiss’s hiring.

Tags: Baltimore Ravens, college students, Hackers, Indictment, Michigan, NFL, Stanford University, student athletes, students, U.S. Department of Justice, University of Michigan

[craig nigrelli]

FEDERAL PROSECUTORS HAVE CHARGED FORMER UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN FOOTBALL COACH MATT WEISS WITH HACKING THE PRIVATE ACCOUNTS OF MORE THAN 3,300 COLLEGE STUDENTS TO ACCESS INTIMATE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS.

WEISS FACES 24 FEDERAL CHARGES, INCLUDING UNAUTHORIZED COMPUTER ACCESS AND AGGRAVATED IDENTITY THEFT. PROSECUTORS SAY HE USED STOLEN STAFF CREDENTIALS TO BREACH A THIRD-PARTY DATABASE OF STUDENT-ATHLETES FROM OVER 100 SCHOOLS BETWEEN 2015 AND 2023.

THE INDICTMENT ALLEGES WEISS DOWNLOADED PERSONAL DATA FOR MORE THAN 150-THOUSAND ATHLETES, THEN USED THAT INFORMATION TO BREAK INTO EMAIL, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND CLOUD STORAGE ACCOUNTS—PRIMARILY TARGETING FEMALE ATHLETES.

HE’S ACCUSED OF COLLECTING PRIVATE, INTIMATE CONTENT AND KEEPING NOTES ON APPEARANCE AND PREFERENCES, SOMETIMES RETURNING TO ACCOUNTS YEARS LATER. AUTHORITIES SAY HE ALSO EXPLOITED SECURITY FLAWS AT SEVERAL UNIVERSITIES TO ACCESS ANOTHER 13-HUNDRED STUDENT AND ALUMNI ACCOUNTS.

WEISS WORKED FOR THE BALTIMORE RAVENS IN THE NFL AND STANFORD UNIVERSITY BEFORE JOINING MICHIGAN IN 2021. THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN FIRED HIM IN EARLY 2023 AFTER AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION. IF CONVICTED, HE FACES UP TO FIVE YEARS PER HACKING CHARGE AND A MANDATORY TWO-YEAR SENTENCE FOR EACH IDENTITY THEFT COUNT.