Imagine being a star college athlete your career’s on the rise, you’re making headlines, and then you find out that the very person who’s supposed to be guiding you has been secretly hacking into your private life for years. It sounds like a plot twist from a thriller, but for thousands of athletes, it’s the disturbing reality they’re now facing.
Matt Weiss, a former assistant coach for the Baltimore Ravens and University of Michigan, has been charged with one of the most egregious breaches of privacy in recent sports history. According to the U.S. Justice Department, Weiss allegedly hacked into the email, social media, and cloud accounts of over 2,000 athletes, many of them women. But the worst part? He didn’t just steal emails he obtained thousands of intimate photos and videos, many of them featuring his victims in compromising, naked, and explicit situations.
This isn’t just a case of minor privacy violations. Investigators found explicit images and sexually explicit videos stored on Weiss’ devices and cloud accounts over 1,300 students and alumni from colleges across the U.S., primarily female, had their most private moments stolen and exploited. These images weren’t just snapshots they were taken from athletes’ personal social media, email, and cloud storage accounts, highlighting a shocking breach of trust and security that seems almost impossible to believe.
Weiss, who was co-offensive coordinator at Michigan in 2022 when the Wolverines finished 13-1 and made the College Football Playoff, has been fired following a 2023 investigation into his computer activities. But here’s the question no one is asking how was this allowed to happen for so long? Weiss allegedly carried out his hacking from 2015 to 2023, gaining unauthorized access to the private lives of athletes without raising any alarms for 8 years.
For context, Weiss was seen as a highly trusted coach a figure of authority in some of the nation’s most prestigious football programs. Yet, behind the scenes, he was collecting nude photos, explicit videos, and private content from athletes, many of whom had no idea their personal lives were being violated by someone in a position of power.
The Justice Department’s indictment against Weiss paints a disturbing picture: thousands of candid, intimate photographs many of them showing his victims naked, others involved in explicit sexual acts were discovered in his files.What makes this scandal even more unsettling is the silence surrounding it.
While the Harbaugh brothers Jim, head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, and John, head coach of the Baltimore Ravens have publicly called the allegations “shocking,” that’s about the extent of the response from those closest to the situation. No one has explained how this went unnoticed for so long, especially in programs that claim to prioritize security and player welfare.
Despite Matt Weiss’ denial of the charges and his lawyer’s refusal to comment, victims are speaking out. Parker Stinar, one of the lawyers representing the victims, has filed multiple lawsuits against Weiss, the University of Michigan, and even an external technology vendor involved in the breach. He’s calling for the immediate release of evidence and further investigation into the case.
Yet, Michigan, the school where Weiss was employed, has remained largely silent.
The NCAA also seems to be turning a blind eye, refusing to step in despite the massive scale of the violation. How could this happen under their watch? Why isn’t there more public outrage? Are college athletes—especially women—being left to fend for themselves when their privacy is violated in the worst possible way?
Weiss faces charges of identity theft and unauthorized computer access. But those fighting for justice are demanding more. The real question is—what will it take to hold these institutions accountable and ensure that this never happens again?
The shocking truth is out there. But as the court case moves forward, one thing remains certain: the silence surrounding this scandal is deafening—and could prove to be even more damning than the hacking itself.
