Jim Leavitt struck player during halftime

[matt]

It seems clear to me that this is a hatchet job. Unfortunately, hatchet jobs can do a lot of damage. Luckily for USF fans, this McMurphy clown was fired.

Having said that, if Leavitt is let go in the next year or two, I think it would be a very attractive opening being in a BCS conference and in Florida. It's a bit smaller profile and maybe they'd have a chance at someone like Chris Petersen.

[biffbeaumont]

Wow. This idiot needs to go.......surprised he didn't get his butt kicked by any of the players....

...Report: USF Coach Jim Leavitt Struck Player In Face During Locker Room Incident

Dec 14, 2009 - If Mark Mangino got fired for poking a kid in the chest and yelling at a few parking attendants, then Jim Leavitt is doomed, doomed, doomed. According to AOL's Brett McMurphy, the University of South Florida football coach grabbed special teams walk-on Paul Miller by the throat and then struck him twice in the face during the halftime of the Bulls' November 21st game against Louisville.

The story is being confirmed by other anonymous sources, who say their afraid to come out for fear of invoking the wrath of Leavitt and other USF officials. Miller isn't commenting any further, but according to these sources his attempt to talk to the coach about the incident produced this chilling anecdote:

Two days after the incident, Miller told his father, teammates and staff members he went to Leavitt's office to discuss the incident. Instead, Miller left feeling disrespected, threatened and intimidated, according to his teammates.

"Coach I want to talk to you about what happened," Joel told Leavitt on Nov. 23.

"Before you say anything," said Leavitt, according to what Miller told others in USF's program and his father, "just know I am the most powerful man in this building."

More to come, but if that is true the most powerful man in the building might be experiencing a voltage shortage shortly.

http://www.sbnation.com/2009/12/14/1200305/jim-leavitt-struck-player-usf-football

[ranman]

goodbye recruits.

[matt]

If this turns out to be true, USF won't have much of a choice in the matter. Which direction does USF go if they fire Leavitt? Scot Loeffler perhaps?

[ibis]

If true, this could set USF back 5 years.

[Fitz66]

"Before you say anything," said Leavitt, according to what Miller told others in USF's program and his father, "just know I am the most powerful man in this building."

Not good for USF.  If this is true I hope they can his arse.  Now that the program is up and running, there are a lot of coaches that would go there.  Holtz?

If this turns out to be true, USF won't have much of a choice in the matter. Which direction does USF go if they fire Leavitt? Scot Loeffler perhaps?

I know someone who use to coach under Leavitt...he is an arrogant prick according to this coach

this is why he cannot keep coaches on staff (along with him being cheap)

I hope Leavitt gets canned I think he has brought the team as far as he can anyway

[biffbeaumont]

Now Leavitt is denying the story...here's the link


http://blogs.tampabay.com/usf/2009/12/report-leavitt-grabbed-player-by-throat-struck-him-in-face.html

[BucsBullsBolts]

Not sure what's true and not true but this story originates from that clown and ex-beat writer McMurphy who has a huge hard on for USF and has been notorious in his running with stories based on half truths and embellishments that hardly ever turn out as bad he initially "reports". The kid's dad doesn't seem too upset with the situation now:

In contrast to the report, Miller's father, Paul, in a conversation Monday with the Times, said he does not think his son was so much as slapped and said the incident has been overexaggerated.

"I stand behind the university and Coach Leavitt 100 percent,'' Paul Miller said. "I truly believe there was no malicious intent to hit anyone. He grabbed his shoulder pad, but it was like a motivational thing. After talking with Joel, he was satisfied there was not a slap, not at all.''

http://blogs.tampabay.com/usf/2009/12/report-leavitt-grabbed-player-by-throat-struck-him-in-face.html#more

[biffbeaumont]

Regardless BucsBulls...  Leavitt's deameanor only reinforces the thought that something like this could take place. Grabbing kids by their facemasks and such. I appreciate what he's done for the program, but it may be time to head in new direction....I'm all for motivating and yelling when need be, but you never need to put your hands on a kid and that's what these players are...kids.

[BucsBullsBolts]

Regardless BucsBulls...  Leavitt's deameanor only reinforces the thought that something like this could take place. Grabbing kids by their facemasks and such. I appreciate what he's done for the program, but it may be time to head in new direction....I'm all for motivating and yelling when need be, but you never need to put your hands on a kid and that's what these players are...kids.

Leavitt's demeanor on the sideline is going to make this tough to go away. Every article will have one of his goofy faces on it ... and while I agree they're kids in one regrad, they're also men in another regard .... while I would never condone slapping a kids face in anger or, god forbid, choking, but a pop on the pads, a grab of the facemask to get his attention is not something that heinous to me .... that's just me, though.

As far as Leavitt and the program goes, i;m not totally sure he's the one to take us to the next level but there's no way in hell he needs to go out like this, prompted by that weasel McMurphy ...

[biffbeaumont]

Regardless BucsBulls...  Leavitt's deameanor only reinforces the thought that something like this could take place. Grabbing kids by their facemasks and such. I appreciate what he's done for the program, but it may be time to head in new direction....I'm all for motivating and yelling when need be, but you never need to put your hands on a kid and that's what these players are...kids.

Leavitt's demeanor on the sideline is going to make this tough to go away. Every article will have one of his goofy faces on it ... and while I agree they're kids in one regrad, they're also men in another regard .... while I would never condone slapping a kids face in anger or, god forbid, choking, but a pop on the pads, a grab of the facemask to get his attention is not something that heinous to me .... that's just me, though.

As far as Leavitt and the program goes, i;m not totally sure he's the one to take us to the next level but there's no way in hell he needs to go out like this, prompted by that weasel McMurphy ...

I agree for the most part .God knows I was popped on the pads and screamed at a few dozen times in JV and High School, and I hope that this isn't true, so we'll see. I don't know much about  McMurphy so I can't comment. It's been a tough season for USF. I'm a Tide fan but have pulled for the Bulls ( especially when they beat Auburn...heh heh ) I hope things can turn around. I really like BJ Daniels....

[BucsBullsBolts]

Here's another article on the situation. It's good to see some actual investigative journalism being done rather than just taking the first article at face value ... but no matter what happens from here on out, there's been damage done.

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/article1058837.ece

[olafberserker]

If this turns out to be true, USF won't have much of a choice in the matter. Which direction does USF go if they fire Leavitt? Scot Loeffler perhaps?

I know someone who use to coach under Leavitt...he is an arrogant prick according to this coach

this is why he cannot keep coaches on staff (along with him being cheap)

he's cheap?   you got a link

[joedav01]

Oh man. Brett McMurphy is getting exactly what he wants. People are believing this stuff.  Here is some background to help those not familiar with what is going on here.

The guy has a serious axe to grind with USF athletics.  He was the USF beat writer for the Tribune and was fired this year.  The guy wrote so many horribly slanted stories in the past few years it wasn't even funny. He even got the media banned from practices due to some insensitive things he wrote about Ryne Giddens this spring.

Anyway, after getting fired by the Tribune he lands a job at AOL Fanhouse.  Now suddenly, it seems like his sole mission in life is to destroy USF athletics.

On November 18th he writes this....  http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/numerous-ncaa-violations-surface-at-south-florida/

Greg Auman does a little digging based on the allegations and finds out theey are just not true at all. The whole article is a fabrication.  see here  http://blogs.tampabay.com/usf/2009/12/gilchrists-parents-dispute-allegations-against-usf-basketball.html?cid=6a00d83451b05569e20128760d5b31970c

Gilchrist was with his parents in MD when McMurphy said he was in Orlando and his parents pay for him to fly home. There is no need for him to get a ride.  And the NCAA has confirmed there is no investigation into this or anything at USF basketball.   The story blows over, McMurphy is proved to be a hack once again and everyone moves on with their lives.

Then comes today.  He writes this whole article about Leavitt hitting a walk on and even goes on JP Peterson's show to spread this story as if it were true. Yet Greg Auman just picks up the phone and call's Mr Miller and he denies it.  http://blogs.tampabay.com/usf/2009/12/report-leavitt-grabbed-player-by-throat-struck-him-in-face.html#more

In contrast to the report, Miller's father, Paul, in a conversation Monday with the Times, said he does not think his son was so much as slapped and said the incident has been overexaggerated.

"I stand behind the university and Coach Leavitt 100 percent,'' Paul Miller said. "I truly believe there was no malicious intent to hit anyone. He grabbed his shoulder pad, but it was like a motivational thing. After talking with Joel, he was satisfied there was not a slap, not at all.''

No father is going to say he is 100% behind a coach if he thinks he hit his child. Its just another made up story.  The guy actually makes up unnamed sources and gives the quotes and even his named sources, he just changes their quotes to aid his agenda.

Oh and remember how McMurphy said that Leavitt would not comment on it? Greg Auman calls and here is his quote from Coach Leavitt... "I'm appalled at it,'' Leavitt said Monday afternoon. "It's absolutely not true. It's so wrong. It's so far out there. I'm very disappointed something like this would be written.''  Seems like a pretty straight forward quote to me.  No room for wiggle room or semantics.  He said its just not true.

So in about 2 months time since being fired, McMurphy has spent all his time writing slanderous articles about USF athletics for a national website, both of which were immediately proved false by the St. Pete Times beat writer by simply picking up the phone and calling the parents of the involved student athletes.

You want a breaking story? How about McMurphy is a fraud and is spending every minute of his day trying to find ways to destroy USF athletics over some sort of grudge that no one seems to know the genesis of.  It started about 2 years ago when he was the beat writer and has just gotten more and more over the top with his false accusations.  I am sure it won't be long until AOL Fanhouse fires him too, but the University needs to file a lawsuit for slander and lible against this guy.  I have never seen anything like it.