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Jim Harbaugh Expresses Shock Over Allegations Against Former Assistant Coach
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh expressed his deep concern over allegations involving one of his former assistant coaches at the University of Michigan, Matt Weiss, who is facing serious charges related to privacy violations involving athletes.
During the NFL’s annual spring meeting held on Monday, Harbaugh responded to inquiries regarding the 24-count federal indictment against Weiss, who previously served as Michigan’s co-offensive coordinator.
Weiss, who was responsible for coaching quarterbacks, was implicated in accusations related to the unauthorized acquisition of “intimate” photos and videos of athletes, predominantly female, over multiple years. Harbaugh stated his feelings upon learning the news: “Just shocked, completely shocked. Disturbed,” as reflected in a video posted by the team.
He further elaborated, “It was after the TCU game that I found out, we found out, that there were allegations. And you said it. I mean, indictment, that’s not a word that — sympathy for the victims and for Matt’s family. It’s shocking.”
The indictment was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan earlier this month, over two years after Weiss was dismissed from his role under Harbaugh’s leadership due to an inquiry into these allegations.
According to the indictment, Weiss is accused of accessing unauthorized student athlete databases across more than 100 colleges and universities through a third-party vendor. This breach allowed him to download personal details of over 150,000 athletes, granting him access to the private information of more than 2,000 individuals, including their social media accounts, emails, and cloud storage.
In a shocking turn of events, Weiss allegedly utilized this compromised information to download “personal, intimate digital photographs and videos that were never intended to be shared beyond intimate partners,” as described by prosecutors. These illicit actions reportedly occurred from 2015 until January 2023, with a primary focus on female athletes.
Following his termination in 2023, Weiss was noted for not cooperating with the university’s internal investigation. He pleaded not guilty to the charges during a court appearance on Monday.
A class-action lawsuit has also emerged recently, filed on behalf of several current and former students. This lawsuit contends that the University of Michigan failed to “supervise and monitor Weiss,” resulting in a significant violation of privacy for the plaintiffs and potentially thousands of other individuals.
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