Matt Weiss, former coach of the Baltimore Ravens, is facing several federal charges due to allegations dating back to 2015. Weiss was fired from his position as Co-offensive Coordinator for Michigan in 2023. Now he is awaiting his day in court.
Weiss has a long history of coaching underpinned by many successes. His coaching career began in 2003, but he hadn’t yet made it to the big time. This is not unusual, as many individuals begin with modest beginnings.
In 2003, Weiss worked as an assistant coach at Smyrna High School in Tennessee. With time, he worked his way to the NFL. Some years later, he found himself coaching for the Baltimore Ravens. It seemed as if he had made Baltimore his home, as he spent over a decade as an offensive coach there. He gave his expertise in several areas, with the last two years spent specifically working with the running backs.
Under his direction, the offensive team had standout performances. One of those recorded successes occurred in his early years. According to the Ravens website,
Weiss joined the team as an assistant coach in 2009, working with then-secondary coach Chuck Pagano. The defense ranked third overall (with 300.5 YPG).
While he made significant contributions, he eventually moved on to join Michigan’s coaching staff.
Not every flower has good roots, and such seems to be the case with Weiss. He had a much darker side, and that darkness would soon come to light. That brings us to the present, where this talented coach is now being charged with over 20 Federal charges related to longstanding computer crimes. Weiss has been accused of improperly accessing the information of various students and athletes over the years. Much of the data contains personally identifiable information (PII), which is sensitive information that can be used to commit identity theft.
Yahoo Sports reports that on Thursday, March 20th, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan announced that Weiss had been charged with 14 counts of unauthorized computer access and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft. The allegations are far more sinister. Weiss is also accused of gaining access to more intimate photos and videos.
Weiss accessed these accounts and downloaded personal, intimate digital photographs and videos that were never intended to be shared with anyone other than intimate partners, according to Yahoo.
Not only did he gain access to this more personal information, but it is also claimed that he kept records based on the data, with female athletes as the designated targets.
“He is accused of keeping notes on the physical appearances and characteristics of the women whose accounts he accessed, as well as downloading the passwords they used through a third-party vendor.
According to sources, he has been engaged in this activity since 2015.
Weiss is undoubtedly facing numerous challenges. The federal charges are not the only matter he is now facing. ABC notes that two of the coaches, suspected victims, have filed lawsuits as well. They are both female athletes from Michigan.
“One was a member of the university’s women’s gymnastics team who attended the school between 2017 and 2018, and the other was a member of the women’s soccer team who attended between 2017 and 2023, according to the lawsuit.”
When one shakes up things on someone else’s boat, that person isn’t the only one held accountable. Michigan and the Regents of the University of Michigan are also named in a lawsuit, the underlying reason being that Weiss was under their watch when these indecent incidents occurred. ABC goes on to note,
“As a result of their “recklessness and negligence,” Weiss downloaded the women’s “personal, intimate digital photographs and videos.”
The sheer enormity of these allegations and the duration during which this went on is staggering. No rationale could explain such crimes. When one has been put in such a position, ethics and character are of utmost importance. Due to the level of access that they have to students’ information, checks and balances are important.
From an outsider’s perspective, it is challenging to attempt to understand why he would be able to access any information outside of those whom he has direct charge over. Even then, it would seem that access would only be limited to need-to-know information necessary for his conditioning or training programs. It is not abnormal for organizations to have access segmented based on the roles, positions, and needs within that organization.
This is scary, and it leads one to wonder how prevalent it is. Has something like this happened before, and has the culprit never been caught? Given the depth of this situation, one hopes that other colleges, athletic programs, and professional teams will restructure their security policies, especially in the realm of accessibility.
Weiss has now pleaded not guilty. After standing before a judge in Federal Court to make his plea, there was nothing else to be said. As the Associated Press notes,
“Weiss and attorney Douglas Mullkoff waived a public reading of the indictment and later declined to comment during a cold, windy walk to a parking lot.”
It will be interesting to see what the outcome of this will be. What precedents will follow? How many more people will come forward with lawsuits? What exactly is the fate that lies ahead for Weiss if convicted on multiple charges? To that end, that concludes my rant on Matt Weiss.
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