Federal authorities on Thursday indicted a former assistant coach for the NFL and University of Michigan on 24 counts involving computer hacking and identity theft. The FBI Detroit Cyber Task Force says Matt Weiss, 42, hacked into private accounts in order to download "intimate, personal" photos of more than 150,000 student athletes, CBS Sports reports. Weiss was serving as Michigan's co-offensive coordinator in 2023 when he was fired for allegedly refusing to cooperate with the university's investigation into his computer access, Fox Sports reports. Prior to coming to the school in 2021, Weiss worked for the Baltimore Ravens.
Authorities say that from 2015 to 2023 Weiss managed to access the databases of more than 100 higher-education institutions that were being maintained by a third-party vendor. In addition to the photos, authorities say he stole personal information and medical data on the athletes, and hacked into students' social media, email, and cloud storage accounts. "He researched and targeted [primarily female athletes] based on their school affiliation, athletic history, and physical characteristics," the indictment says. "His goal was to obtain private photographs and videos never intended to be shared beyond intimate partners." (More University of Michigan stories.)