A federal hacking case alleging that former Ravens and University of Michigan coach Matt Weiss gained access to thousands of intimate photos of college students might include former Towson University athletes as victims.

Attorneys Megan Bonanni of Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonanni & Rivers and Lisa Esser-Weidenfeller of Sommers Schwartz sent a preservation notice to the school to retain all relevant evidence, including emails, videos and any records involving personal data belonging to student-athletes who attended the university between 2012 and 2019.The attorneys — who represented survivors in cases against sports doctors Larry Nassar, who pleaded guilty in 2017 to sexually assaulting hundreds of young female athletes, and Robert Anderson, who was accused of sexual abuse by more than 1,000 mostly male Michigan athletes — filed the paperwork for former athletes who believe Weiss might have illegally accessed their personal information during or after their time at Towson. At least five federal lawsuits have been filed nationwide in connection with the allegations.

“This is the tip of the iceberg,” attorney Jon Marko said Monday at a news conference in Detroit announcing that 40 more student-athletes have joined a lawsuit against the University of Michigan. “I think as we peel back the layers of this rotten onion that the University of Michigan has created that we’re going to discover that there’s going to be different entanglements out there, that there’s going to be additional women and individuals [who were affected].”

Weiss worked for the Ravens from 2009 to 2020 under coach John Harbaugh, filling positions such as defensive quality coach and running backs coach before moving to Michigan. He has no known connection to Towson, and it’s unclear exactly which schools, aside from the University of Michigan, might have been affected.

Sean Welsh, Towson vice president of university marketing and communications, acknowledged Thursday morning that the university had been contacted in connection to the case.

“Recently, TU Athletics was informed that it and TU student-athletes were the victims of an illegal data breach perpetrated by a person with no connection to the university who has been charged with federal crimes involving numerous universities and victims,” he said in a statement. “TU is supporting the victims who are part of our university community.”

A Ravens spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ernie Larossa, associate athletic director and director of athletic communications at Johns Hopkins University, and Ryan Eigenbrode, associate athletic director in charge of communications and strategic marketing at Loyola Maryland, said their schools have not been contacted about this case.

Last month, a court filing submitted by lawyers for victims included an email sent by the U.S. Justice Department revealing that investigators had found thousands of intimate photos and videos from Weiss, who was charged in March with 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft.

According to a federal indictment, Weiss accessed the social media, email and cloud storage accounts of more than 2,000 athletes and more than 1,300 students or graduates from more than 100 U.S. universities to find private images, primarily of women.

“Thousands of candid, intimate photographs and videos have been seized from the defendant’s electronic devices and from his cloud storage accounts,” the Justice Department’s Mega Victim Case Assistance Program said. “Many show victims naked. Some show victims engaged in explicit sexual acts.”

Weiss has pleaded not guilty to identity theft and unauthorized computer access from 2015 to 2023. He and his lawyer have not commented on the case, which is set for a Nov. 4 trial.

Weiss was Michigan’s co-offensive coordinator in 2022 when the team went 13-1 and participated in the College Football Playoff. He was fired in 2023 during an investigation of his computer use.

Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, who was Weiss’ boss at Michigan, called the allegations “shocking.” His brother, Ravens coach John Harbaugh, used the same word when talking to reporters last month at the NFL’s annual owners meeting.

“It’s just really shocking, surprising,” John Harbaugh said in Palm Beach, Florida. “I didn’t see that one coming. I found out about it the same time everybody else did. I don’t know what to make of it. I just feel really bad for the people involved that were affected by it, especially his family and then the people that were the victims of that … It’s really just a disturbing situation.”

Baltimore Sun reporter Brian Wacker contributed to this article.

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