Sherrone Moore and Michigan have been in the limelight for their crazy recruitment wins last year, including the $10 million Bryce Underwood leap. But all their preseason progress and some big damage control moves following a 9-4 season looked hollow as a former school faithful garnered some serious litigation over his head.

We are talking about a past co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the Wolverines, Matt Weiss. The 42-year-old Michigan veteran has been accused of 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of identity theft. He is facing a maximum of five years imprisonment on each count of unauthorized access to computers and two years on each count of aggravated identity theft.

“According to the indictment, between approximately 2015 and January 2023, Weiss gained unauthorized access to student athlete databases of more than 100 colleges and universities that were maintained by a third-party vendor,” the United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan, said. “After gaining access to these databases, Weiss downloaded the personally identifiable information and medical data of more than 150,000 athletes.”

Weiss was with the Wolverines between 2021-2023. For the 2021 season, he serves as the QB coach. The following year, he was also given the added responsibility of being the co-offensive coordinator for the team. The matter came to light when the University of Michigan Police Department raided Weiss’ home on January 10, 2023. A week later, the program placed him on leave. On January 23, the university fired Wiess.

After the indictments were announced, RJ Young, the host of the Number One College Football Show, had a suggestion for all the Michigan ex- and present students who had a potential risk of falling victim to the scandal. ”If you are a player or an alumnus or somebody that was associated with the University of Michigan, where they might have had access to that information, you might want to go find out if you’re a part of this and if there’s anything that can be done. Because right now it’s frankly damage control on your part. I think, and I’m sure that the Department of Justice is doing what they need to do.” 

The news comes at a time when the Wolverines are already embroiled in a long, drawn-out scandal concerning another member of their coaching staff, Connon Stalions, who was let go because of his alleged involvement in the sign-stealing scandal during the 2023 season. Yes, the same season when Michigan won the national championship.

Michigan is already fighting a harsh legal battle over the sign-stealing scandal

The program has reached an all-time high in on-field success, as the defending national champion in 2024 and the three-time reigning Big Ten conference champion, but the picture outside the gridiron is a bit different. There have been multiple NCAA, and FBI investigations running against the premium college football franchise. Among all the claims and charges, Michigan’s violations during the COVID-19 pandemic make the most of the talk that saw the former eminent head coach Jim Harbaugh fall into deep water due to an alleged role in the mishap.

To look back at 2023, Wolverines Defense Analyst Connor Stalions was charged with the claim of using illegal measures to steal opponents’ signs. The evidence featured him being physically present in games of the rivals to sneak a peek into their game plan. The NCAA has since been investigating the case, but a verdict has yet to be reached.

Meanwhile, Michigan athletic director Manuel Warde is trying to flip the narrative, addressing a reassurance of Charlie Baker. ‘‘What I can point to is Charlie Baker, when we won the championship, said they won it fair and square […] [T]hat gives me some sense that they understand that this was a team who won that championship fair and square.”

However, the rival fans aren’t convinced. They hold it as a simple fabrication of a statement. Baker might have said those words, but it doesn’t make the Wolverines guilt-free and punishment-free for what they have done.