Former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has been included as a defendant in a new lawsuit stemming from a former Wolverines assistant’s alleged computer crimes.
A new federal lawsuit alleges that Harbaugh allowed former offensive coordinator Matt Weiss to coach during the 2022-23 College Football Playoff despite being aware that Weiss had been caught at the football facility illegally viewing the personal information of female college athletes, according to Doug Samuels of Football Scoop. The suit claims that Weiss was caught on Dec. 22, but that Michigan administrators, including Harbaugh, chose to either do nothing or ignore the information due to the importance of the Dec. 31 CFP semifinal against TCU.
The suit, which was filed on behalf of 11 victims, also names former Michigan president Santa Ono and athletic director Warde Manuel as co-defendants. Lawyers claim to have evidence proving that the three knew of Weiss’ alleged wrongdoing, but did not act.
In January 2023, Weiss was placed on leave over an alleged computer access crime, and was ultimately fired as co-offensive coordinator shortly after that. It later came to light that Weiss allegedly gained access to the personal data of many female student-athletes and used that access to download intimate personal photographs and videos of them.
Weiss, a former co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Wolverines, has also worked as a staff member with the Baltimore Ravens. He is facing numerous federal charges for his alleged behavior.
