Jim Leavitt’s booking image.
Photo Courtesy of Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
By Irena Mesa
On Monday, Aug. 25, former University of South Florida football coach Jim Leavitt was arrested at the Ibis Walk Apartments in St. Petersburg around 7 p.m. on charges of domestic battery, grand theft, and simple battery.
A St. Petersburg Police Department affidavit states that he struck his ex-girlfriend and grabbed her as she tried to leave their apartment.
Leavitt was also accused of stealing a Louis Vuitton purse, clutch and wallet which were worth $5,000-$10,000 in total. Leavitt was charged with domestic battery and grand theft for the incident.
Leavitt was also charged with simple battery after pushing another man at the scene, according to police reports. The man claimed he was not hurt in the exchange.
A judge set a $7,000 bond for all three charges, and Leavitt was released the following evening after posting bail.
According to ESPN, Leavitt was fired by USF after the university found that he had grabbed sophomore wide receiver Joel Miller, by the throat during halftime of a game in 2010. Their investigation also revealed that Leavitt slapped Miller in the face and later lied about the altercation.
Leavitt was chosen to be a part of the USF Athletic Hall of Fame in the Class of 2025, after giving the Bulls a program-best record of 95-17 in his 13 seasons as head coach. The induction ceremony is scheduled for Oct. 2, but it is unclear if Leavitt will be named a official member of the class.
USF initially hired Leavitt as their first football coach in December 1995, after he helped to bring a struggling Kansas State team into the top 20 rankings. He went on to do the same thing for USF, bringing the Bulls from nothing to the highest division in college football.
