Matt Weiss fired information released to the public
Former Michigan co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss was fired Jan. 20 after it was found during a university investigation review that day that he appeared to "have inappropriately accessed” computer accounts, according to his termination letter.
Weiss was asked to appear at the meeting and was informed in a Jan. 19 memo the investigation was for violations of the University of Michigan’s Standard Practice Guide (SPG) policies, according to documents obtained Monday by The Detroit News. The memo to Weiss said a summary of the “relevant evidence” was attached, but it was not included in the documents The News requested. Weiss did not appear at the Jan. 19 meeting.
February 14th, 2023 at 3:49 AM ^
This article basically confirms what we already know, and doesn’t provide any information about which email accounts Weiss accessed and why.
February 14th, 2023 at 4:46 AM ^
...and the title doesn't make sense
February 14th, 2023 at 8:03 AM ^
I imagine he fired it out of a cannon, complete with confetti and a laser light show
February 14th, 2023 at 10:31 AM ^
isn't that how we all post?
February 14th, 2023 at 6:07 AM ^
But other than that, I feel enriched and enlightened!
February 14th, 2023 at 6:19 AM ^
We likely will never know what email accounts were accessed or why. The University might have an idea but can only speculate since Weiss chose not to defend himself. Speculation on the University's part will only lead to lawsuits. Unauthorized access to computer accounts (whether that be another's person email account or computer programs that you are not authorized) is a universally fireable offense. I don't care where you work.
Our desire to know why has zero relevancy. Sometimes people in very responsible and lucrative positions make incredibly unfathomable decisions. Weiss's decision to not offer a defense is actually pretty telling.
February 14th, 2023 at 7:38 AM ^
"We likely will never know what email accounts were accessed or why."
Correct.
"The University might have an idea but can only speculate since Weiss chose not to defend himself."
Completely wrong. The university absolutely knows exactly what accounts, and when, Matt Weiss accessed them.
"Our desire to know why has zero relevancy."
False. He's a public employee, and many aspects of personnel matters are subject to public scrutiny through FOIA.
February 14th, 2023 at 8:32 AM ^
Also, Weiss probably committed a crime here. There's no right to privacy in that case.
February 14th, 2023 at 11:33 AM ^
Until he’s prosecuted for something, and there’s no indication he’s going to be, there’s no basis for concluding he “probably committed a crime.”
February 14th, 2023 at 9:06 AM ^
i honestly don't know why we as outside entities (which we are, rooting / sports interests aside) need to know which accounts he did or did not access. what's the benefit?
i swear, i'm not arguing or trolling here. i'm just trying to understand...if my work fired someone for something similar i wouldn't have any expectation that i'd ever find out the details. i know - public institution, etc., but i can't come up with a legit "need" to know.
February 14th, 2023 at 10:11 AM ^
We are not "outside entities" - at least if you are a Michigan resident. This is a state employee.
These are our employees, acting in our name, firing another one of our employees.
We have the right to any “writing prepared, owned, used, in the possession of, or retained by a Public Body in the performance of an official function, from the time it is created.”.
February 14th, 2023 at 10:49 AM ^
There are a number of exceptions following that broad claim of entitlement.
The point remains that the general public does not have cause to know the specifics of which email accounts were accessed. Involved parties would have cause. I believe the public might have cause to know that there was notification to show the harm was mitigated, but that is a stretch. The Weiss legal team would have interest to details to show that the termination was fair and not an abuse of power, but it seems that he threw that towel in early.
Getting the details to satisfy curiosity or sate a need to further vilify Mr. Wiess does not outweigh the potential additional harm done to the victims who had their email accounts accessed or the recipients of those emails.
February 14th, 2023 at 10:59 AM ^
Directly from the state of Michigan FOIA handbook:
" For example, email used to support a disciplinary action for abusing the Public Body’s computer acceptable use policy would be related to one of the Public Body’s official functions - discipline of an employee"
February 14th, 2023 at 11:23 AM ^
please re-read what i wrote. i'm not asking if we have the "right" to know. i'm asking why we NEED to know.
February 14th, 2023 at 2:07 PM ^
Because it is our duty as taxpayer and voters of the state to provide oversight for our public institutions.
The law exists to ensure an informed citizenry and provide a check against corruption by holding the government accountable - and both Weiss, and the people that fired him, are "the government".
February 14th, 2023 at 2:23 PM ^
Pescadero's comments don't account for the privacy rights of the victim, which are part of public disclosure and FOIA regulations, and which outweigh the rights of the public to see the materials. The university has made documents public that support the actions taken -- they're never going to disclose the evidence in further support of that unless (1) the victim consents and/or (2) it's disclosed as part of a criminal proceeding. With respect to the possibility of disclosure in a criminal proceeding, if Weiss is charged and doesn't want the details disclosed (and there are many reasons why he would want the details to remain out of the public eye), he'll plead to a minor offense (a misdemeanor, perhaps) and/or enter into a first-time offender diversion program that expunges any conviction -- likely worst case scenario for him is a fine and/or community service, and it's highly doubtful the public will ever know what email accounts were accessed or what was done with them, even if media outlets sue the university to attempt to obtain the materials (which they probably won't get for the reasons set out above).
February 14th, 2023 at 3:13 PM ^
i'm all for public accountability but sheesh, calm down. he's a football coach that got caught fucking around on a work computer. let's not pretend that this is crying out for an FOIA request.
y'know what else i heard? mel tucker bought someone a hamburger using his sparty credit card. WITH BACON.
February 15th, 2023 at 4:33 PM ^
Every action a public body attempts to cover up, no matter how minor, needs a FOIA.
...and given UofMs generally unacceptable behaviors with regard to FOIA, they need a FOIA on everything possible to hopefully force a sea change in how FOIA is dealt with by the university.
February 14th, 2023 at 8:57 AM ^
Fletcher Hall!
Lived there 1976-78. On football Saturdays we emptied our small parking lot, sold the spots, and used the proceeds for a keg for the evening.
Thanks for the memories.
February 14th, 2023 at 10:53 AM ^
Lived in the Fetch in late 80's when it transitioned from all male to co-ed. And again in the early 90's, where I met my wife. Awesome place to live. Those Saturday morning when the damn band started playing at Oh My God it's early o'clock were another matter. Don't get me wrong. I love the band at civilized hours.
February 14th, 2023 at 9:03 AM ^
“Our desire to know why has zero relevancy.”
Our desire to know won’t necessarily be satisfied, but asserting that it’s irrelevant as to us as fans is ridiculous.
For example, if Weiss was contacting student athletes or faculty/staff in connection to grades or eligibility, that could be a problem for the program that is much more serious than hamburgers.
February 14th, 2023 at 7:49 AM ^
I found out water is wet
February 14th, 2023 at 8:04 AM ^
We know there is dirt we just don’t know what the dirt is.
He is gone and hopefully justice is served.
I’m happy to move on.
February 14th, 2023 at 8:06 AM ^
Yeah I noticed this on ESPN.com last night and thought about posting it...but I re-read it and the only news is that he didn't show up to a meeting.
I really didn't feel like making a thread about his failure to show for a meeting. Everything else was already reported, thoroughly.
February 16th, 2023 at 7:32 AM ^
Idk if im being too naive, but i believe the most likely explanation is he logged onto a player's account to do their homework for them? Or is that innocuous enough that it would have been publicly stated already?
February 14th, 2023 at 6:26 AM ^
Talk about burying the lede: because the only news is about a release of documents that rehash what we already know, the article doesn't mention until the fifth paragraph that more information won't be released now because it's still an "active investigation."
February 14th, 2023 at 6:36 AM ^
Literally no new information.
February 14th, 2023 at 7:12 AM ^
Your title is bad and you should feel bad. There is nothing here.
February 14th, 2023 at 7:33 AM ^
Seems like more sentences to tell us what we already knew
February 14th, 2023 at 8:09 AM ^
-1 for title.
February 14th, 2023 at 8:10 AM ^
Crime of the century confirmed /s.
February 14th, 2023 at 8:19 AM ^
This thread should be locked too.
Lock everything
February 14th, 2023 at 8:30 AM ^
Reads like the whole story was one big fat waste of Angelique's time. Zero new information. All I keep thinking when I read this story is how do you blow an $850,000 a year gig that a lot of us would die for.
February 14th, 2023 at 8:44 AM ^
Reading that weiss a waste of my time!
February 15th, 2023 at 12:32 AM ^
Reading that was a Weiss of my time!
February 14th, 2023 at 10:41 AM ^
We’ll just have to wait until the FOIA comes thru to actually know anything about what happened
February 14th, 2023 at 11:37 AM ^
" Matt Weiss fired information released to the public, you won't believe the details!* "
*or maybe not.
February 17th, 2023 at 8:40 AM ^
Yeah, still kind of spinning the tires here on new information. It'd be nice to get some clarification on this at some point.