Chargers Coach Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Officials Named in Lawsuit Tied to Matt Weiss Hacking Case

A shocking development has emerged in the Matt Weiss hacking case, with Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and several Michigan officials named as defendants in a class-action lawsuit. The suit alleges that Harbaugh and others turned a blind eye to Weiss's alleged hacking activities, allowing him to continue working at the University of Michigan despite knowing about his misdeeds.

Weiss, who served as quarterbacks coach under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan from 2021 until his firing in January 2023, is accused of accessing sensitive information without authorization. The allegations surfaced ahead of the Wolverines' College Football Playoff appearance in December 2022 and claim that university officials looked the other way after learning about Weiss's hacking activities.

The amended class-action complaint filed by 11 women names Harbaugh, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, and former university president Santa Ono among nearly 50 others. The plaintiffs claim that the university prioritized the interests of the football team over those of the victimized female students, further discriminating against them.

"The university put the interests of the [Michigan] football team ahead of those of the victimized female students, further discriminating against the plaintiffs and class members," the court filing claims. Weiss was indicted in March on 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft.

He is accused of accessing third-party databases tied to more than 100 colleges and universities, where he allegedly obtained personally identifiable information on over 150,000 student-athletes to break into the social media, email, and cloud storage accounts of more than 2,000 athletes. The lawsuit also claims that Weiss extended his hacking activities to non-athlete students and alumni, with a focus on female college athletes.

Weiss joined Michigan's staff under Harbaugh in 2021 as quarterbacks coach and was elevated to co-offensive coordinator the following year. Before making the move to college football, he spent over a decade working under Jim Harbaugh's older brother, John Harbaugh, with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens.