2 former University of Michigan athletes sue ex-football coach Matt Weiss, university
Two former University of Michigan student-athletes have filed a federal lawsuit against former quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss, the university, its board of regents and Keffer Development Services after Weiss was indicted last week on federal charges accusing him of hacking the personal accounts of thousands of athletes across the country to steal "intimate" videos and photos.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a member of the University of Michigan's women's gymnastics team between 2017 and 2018, and a member of the school's women's soccer program from 2017 to 2023.
The two allege that they are among the thousands of victims Weiss targeted and that "Because of the Regents' and the University's policy and/or practice of deliberate indifference, Plaintiffs had their privacy invaded and were sexually harassed by Weiss."
Weiss, 42, was charged on March 20 with 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft. The lawsuit was filed in federal court on March 21.
Weiss was in federal court in Detroit on Monday. He entered a not-guilty plea.
Prosecutors allege that between 2015 and January 2023, Weiss hacked student-athlete databases of more than 100 colleges that were maintained by a third-party vendor, Pennsylvania-based Keffer Development Services. Once he gained access to the databases, Weiss allegedly downloaded "personally identifiable information and medical data of more than 150,000 athletes."
Weiss reportedly primarily targeted female student-athletes.
Criminal records show Weiss "researched and targeted these women based on their school affiliation, athletic history, and physical characteristics. His goal was to obtain private photographs and videos never intended to be shared beyond intimate partners."
Using the information Weiss obtained from the databases and his research, the government alleged he gained access to email and social media accounts as well as cloud storage accounts of more than 2,000 student-athletes. He's accused of illegally obtaining the same information of more than 1,300 additional students and alumni from colleges across the U.S.
"His ability to do so was aided by the University and the Regents both of whom permitted him to have access and use of electronic credentials that were means of viewing and downloading personal, private, and intimate images of Plaintiffs and others similar to them," the lawsuit states. "The recklessness and negligence and misconduct of the Regents, the University, and Keffer in these respects enabled Weiss to target female college athletes to obtain their private and sensitive information without authorization, including but not limited to Plaintiffs.
Kay Travis, University of Michigan's Director of Public Affairs, said Monday that the university had "not been served with the complaint and cannot comment on pending litigation."
When asked for comment on the lawsuit, Keffer Development Services said, "At this time we have no comment."
Weiss served as Michigan's quarterbacks coach during the 2021 season and as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach during the 2022 campaign. He was fired in January 2023 amid an investigation by university police into possible computer-access crimes at a football building.
Before his time in Ann Arbor, Weiss was on the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff for 12 seasons from 2009 to 2020.
If convicted, Weiss faces up to five years in prison on each count of unauthorized access to computers and two years on each count of aggravated identity theft. Weiss faces a mandatory two-year sentence if convicted of aggravated identity theft.
