FBI joins inquiry into fired Michigan asst. Weiss

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior WriterOct 26, 2023, 05:38 PM ET
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- College football reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
- Graduate of Northwestern University.

The FBI has joined the University of Michigan police department’s investigation of former Wolverines assistant football coach Matt Weiss, who was fired in January following a report of unauthorized computer access crimes at the school’s football building.

Deputy chief Melissa Overton confirmed the FBI’s involvement to ESPN on Thursday, adding that the investigation is “extensive, ongoing and is of the utmost priority,” and covers multiple states.

Weiss, who spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons with Michigan and most recently served as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, has not been charged with any crime.

In a letter to Weiss obtained by the Associated Press, Michigan executive associate athletic director Doug Gnodtke wrote that the school had evidence he had “inappropriately accessed” accounts at Schembechler Hall, which houses the school’s football offices.

Michigan told Weiss it fired him after he did not attend a meeting to discuss whether he had gained access to the accounts. A Michigan employee on Jan. 5 reported “fraudulent activity involving someone accessing university emails accounts without authorization,” according to the university police log.

Weiss told ESPN’s Pete Thamel in January that he would cooperate with the investigation.

A University of Michigan police department spokesperson told ESPN’s Dan Murphy that the Weiss investigation is unrelated to the NCAA’s probe of off-campus scouting and signal stealing involving the program and staff member Connor Stalions, who was around the program in 2021 before officially joining the staff in 2022.