Michigan OC Matt Weiss put on leave amid investigation into ‘computer access crimes’

The University of Michigan has placed offensive co-coordinator and quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss on leave amid an investigation by university police into a report of computer access crimes over a three-day span last month.

The incident was reported at Schembechler Hall, where coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff have offices and where the Wolverines practice.

‘Since this is an ongoing investigation, there is no additional information to share,’ University of Michigan police said in a statement on Wednesday.

Michigan offensive coordinator Matt Weiss has been suspended for computer access crimes

Weiss said in a statement to ESPN that he is fully cooperating with investigators and looks forward to the matter being resolved. Weiss has not personally responded to messages from media outlets, including The Associated Press. 

Harbaugh hired Weiss nearly two years ago as quarterbacks coach and promoted him to co-offensive coordinator last season, giving him a share of play-calling duties with Sherrone Moore.

Michigan finished No. 3 in the AP Top 25 after winning the Big Ten title and losing in a College Football Playoff semifinal for a second straight year. Weiss’ suspension is just the latest of off-field headlines involving the Wolverines, and not necessarily for the right reasons.

On Monday, Harbaugh called the school’s president to say he’s staying, ending yet another round of speculation that he would be returning to the NFL amid intense speculation linking him to the Denver Broncos following Nathaniel Hackett’s firing. 

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, 59, is also dealing with trouble though from the NCAA 

Harbaugh’s future was once up in the air after intense speculation linking him back to the NFL

The former San Francisco 49ers head coach (2011-2014) is also apparently at odds with Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel despite recent on-field success after school president Santa Ono communicated that Harbaugh would be staying on for next season, as opposed coming from the athletic department. 

The pair have not always seen eye-to-eye after Manuel cut Harbaugh’s salary as part of an agreement to keep him as head coach following a 2-4 season in 2020, which was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Michigan’s head coach is also dealing with an NCAA investigation of alleged rules violations that includes a Level I charge for misleading investigators. If found guilty, Harbaugh could face a suspension at the start of the 2022-23 season. The 59-year-old is being investigated for impermissible recruiting during a dead period and using analysts as on-field coaches – a possible Level II charge. 

Level I charges represents the most serious of violations in the eyes of the NCAA.

Defensive lineman Mazi Smith was arrested in October for posessing a gun without a license

Michigan defensive lineman Mazi Smith was also mentioned in recent headlines after being arrested in October for speeding in Ann Arbor. In the course of the stop, a gun was found in his vehicle without the 21-year-old possessing a concealed pistol license (CPL). He was later arrested. 

Two months after his arrest, Smith was charged with a felony for carrying a concealed weapon though the count was dismissed on December 8. 

Meanwhile, the 39-year-old Weiss was a part of the Baltimore Ravens’ staff, led by Jim Harbaugh’s brother, John, from 2009 to 2020. He also was a graduate assistant for four years at Stanford, working on Jim Harbaugh’s staff for two seasons. 

Weiss, who is from New Haven, Connecticut, graduated from Vanderbilt in 2005.