2 Former UM Athletes Sue After Private Photos Were Stolen By Ex-Football Coach: Lawsuit

ANN ARBOR, MI — Two women are suing after a former University of Michigan football coach was accused by federal officials of hacking personal data and private photos of thousands of student-athletes.

Matt Weiss, 42, of Ann Arbor was charged with 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft. He pleaded not guilty and was released from jail on a $10,000 bond.

Between 2015 and January 2023, officials said Weiss used Keffer Development Services to gain unauthorized access to student-athlete databases of more than 100 colleges and universities. With that information, he was able to download personal ID and medical data of more than 150,000 athletes.

That information allowed him access to the social media, email, and cloud storage accounts of more than 2,000 athletes, who were mostly women that he targeted based on their school affiliation, athletic history and physical characteristics, federal officials said.

Once Weiss got into those accounts, he downloaded personal, intimate digital photographs and videos that were never intended to be shared beyond intimate partners, federal officials said.

The lawsuit accuses the university, its Board of Regents and Keffer Development Services of multiple violations, including Title IX protections, civil rights and civil laws under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

The two women, identified only as "Jane Doe 1" and "Jane Doe 2," said they were "embarrassed, ashamed, humiliated and mortified" that their private information was accessed by total strangers and third parties.

According to the lawsuit, both women are former University of Michigan student-athletes. One was a former gymnast from 2017 to 2018, and the other was a soccer player who was on the school's team from 2017 to 2023.

"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," the lawsuit says.

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. He also faces a mandatory two-year sentence if convicted of aggravated identity theft.

Weiss served as Michigan's quarterbacks coach in 2021 and as their co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach during the 2022 season. He was fired from the team in January 2023. The team did not offer a reason for his firing.