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Jim Harbaugh (Los Angeles Charges photo)
A lawsuit accuses former University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh of ignoring questionable computer activity by his former assistant coach Matthew Weiss.
Harbaugh, now head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, was added as a defendant Friday in an existing federal lawsuit in Detroit against Weiss, who is accused of hacking into the computer accounts of female college athletes across the U.S. to search for intimate photos, the Asssociated Press reports. Weiss also faces criminal charges in the case.
The class-action lawsuit was originally filed in March by 11 anonymous students against former coach Weiss.
According to Ed White of the Associated Press:
Attorneys claim Harbaugh, who was Michigan’s coach, 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. Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel and other officials were also added to the lawsuit in federal court in Detroit.
“The university’s delay in taking meaningful protective action until after a high-stakes game sends a clear message: Student welfare was secondary,” said Parker Stinar, who is the lead lawyer in a class-action lawsuit arising from a criminal investigation of Weiss.
The AP sought comment from Harbaugh and Manuel but they did not respond.
In March, federal authorities charged Weiss in a 24-count indictment for allegedly gaining unauthorized access to student-athlete databases at more than 100 colleges and universities and downloading intimate photos and videos.
Specifically, between 2015 and 2023, the indictment alleges that Weiss illegally hacked into social media, email, and cloud storage accounts of more than 3,300 individuals, many of whom were female college athletes.
