A couple of years ago, Michigan found itself in hot water with the NCAA over accusations of sign-stealing and poaching, and that investigation is still in the works. Back then, their head coach, Jim Harbaugh, got hit with two separate three-game suspensions. Since then, he’s moved on to the NFL to coach the Los Angeles Chargers. Right now, it looks like even if the NCAA manages to prove those charges against him, they won’t really be able to do much. So, while Jim Harbaugh seems to have dodged the NCAA’s fire, another big scandal has come up with his name attached.
The same year when the sign-stealing scandal came to the surface, another big scandal swept the college football world involving Michigan’s co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss. Weiss was accused of unauthorized access to the NCAA’s database and stealing the identity of more than 3,000 athletes, mostly female, and downloading their intimate and personal photos and videos, not intended for public sharing. The whole controversy was widely condemned, and Weiss was fired from Michigan in 2023. But this isn’t where it ends.
On March 24, 2025, a class action lawsuit was filed by 11 women athletes against the University of Michigan and Matt Weiss, alleging “significant and severe damages” and seeking compensation exceeding $50 million. Several other persons were also named in the lawsuit, including former Michigan president Santa Ono and the University’s athletic director, Warde Manuel. But now? According to the recent filings in the lawsuit, the former Michigan head coach has also been added as a defendant with allegations that he knew about Matt Weiss’s wrongdoings. RJ Young of Fox Sports asked a valid question involving Jim Harbaugh after the news broke.
