FBI included as part of police investigation involving former Michigan coordinator Matt Weiss

Dec 4, 2021; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
By Austin Meek and Nicole Auerbach
Oct 26, 2023

The investigation into alleged computer-access crimes at Schembechler Hall involving former Michigan offensive coordinator Matt Weiss has broadened to include the FBI, the University of Michigan Police Department said Thursday.

“The University of Michigan Police Department has partnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding the Matt Weiss unauthorized computer access incident,” Melissa Overton, UMPD deputy chief of police, wrote in a statement to The Athletic. “Currently, the investigation is extensive, ongoing, and is of the utmost priority. Additional information will be provided when available.”

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Overton said the FBI investigation was unrelated to the ongoing NCAA investigation into an alleged in-person scouting scheme involving Michigan football staffers. NCAA investigators have begun interviewing low-level members of the football staff, an industry source briefed on the investigation confirmed.

Weiss was fired for cause in January after a report of potentially fraudulent activity involving “someone accessing university email accounts without authorization,” according to an entry in the campus crime log. UMPD confirmed at the time that it was investigating a report of computer access crimes that occurred at Schembechler Hall in December 2022, shortly before Michigan departed to face TCU in the Fiesta Bowl.

Athletic director Warde Manuel cited a violation of university policy in his statement announcing Weiss’ termination. Neither Weiss nor the university has commented on the investigation since then. No one has been arrested or charged in connection with the investigation, Overton confirmed.

Weiss spent two seasons on Michigan’s staff, one as quarterbacks coach and one as co-offensive coordinator. The police investigation is part of a tumultuous year for the Michigan program, which faced a separate NCAA investigation into allegations of recruiting violations that occurred during the COVID-19 dead period. The school suspended coach Jim Harbaugh for the first three games of the 2023 season in connection with that investigation, and offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore served a one-game suspension.

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(Photo of Matt Weiss: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)

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