USF coach is the most powerful man in the building...

[PrimeX]

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/...er-usf-football

[Danimal]

Wow, if true he's gone, I think USF needs somebody else to get to the next level anyway. I'm not saying Leavitt's done a bad job but the program has hit a plateau.

[MuchoBulls]

I don't know how much stock to take in McMurphy's article. He was a former USF beat writer for the Tampa Tribune and he was fired earlier this year. It's well known that Leavitt did not like him after he had printed some very questionable and untruthful stories about the program in the past. He has a major axe to grind with USF and he already published an article a month ago about alleged transgressions with the Men's Basketball program (which have already been proven to be false).

McMurphy is classic for using unnamed "sources" and that no one from USF was "available for comment". His one named source has already spoken to the St Pete Times USF writer today. Here's the link:

http://blogs.tampabay.com/usf/2009/12/r ... .html#more

[MuchoBulls]

Leavitt's been known to headbutt players at halftime. I don't think he went as far as what is being alleged, but I wasn't there. I'm hopeful that this did not occur and judging from the originator of the allegation I feel it didn't.

[M Club]

See! I was right about shooting the messenger!

Sin,

M Club

still waiting.

[War Wagon]

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.

Anonymous sources confirm that this reporter and his editor are retards.

[M Club]

Dumbass, at least this reporter was discredited. You, on the other hand, have nothing but empty rhetoric when it comes to the AA News and the reporters at the Free Press.

"nothing" is the operative word here. exposes should expose something, non? still waiting..

[MuchoBulls]

Here is the article that will run in the St. Pete Times (new quotes from Joel Miller's father):

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/ ... er/1058816

Paul Miller said his son has had a long relationship with Leavitt, attending USF football camps since he was 11 years old. After one semester at the Citadel, the Wharton graduate transferred to USF to become a preferred walk-on in 2008 and totaled seven special-teams tackles as a redshirt freshman. He has four tackles this season.

The Fanhouse.com report quoted Paul Miller as saying "you do something like that, you put them in jail" and that Leavitt "crossed the line." He told the Times both quotes were taken out of context.

"He asked me what I did for a living, and I said, 'If you did that on the street, you'd go to jail,' " the former police officer said. "That doesn't mean I would say that about Coach Leavitt. That's not what was said. Joel said, 'Dad, we're fine. I know he didn't slap me. He was just trying to get me going.' "

[MuchoBulls]

He was just trying to motivate the player. Did Miller have any tackles in the second half?

He had 4 tackles for the year, so chances are he didn't have one in the second half.

[MuchoBulls]

So we should go after Central Michigan's coach is what you're saying?

[M Club]

no, let cincinnati go through the trouble of interviewing him. once he signs on then you can take him.

[MuchoBulls]

Got it

[MuchoBulls]

Sam, it's all speculation at this point. I am not naive to think that something didn't happen in the locker room. I've been here long enough and have known Coach Leavitt for a long time. I can definitely see him getting into a player's face, but not to the extent of what was reported.

Brett McMurphy has a major axe to grind with Coach Leavitt. He was fired as USF's beat reporter for a reason. He wasn't on great terms with Leavitt for a while and it just got to the point where he was more of a detriment than actually doing his job.

Earlier this year in summer practice, the St. Petersburg Times' Greg Auman (USF's beat writer for the Times) was getting great scoops and writing very good articles about the program. McMurphy was being lazy, so one practice he reported that one of our African American players dropped a n-bomb during practice. Once this ran Leavitt banned all media from practice for the rest of the season.

[PSUFAN]

It certainly would be nice to find that the allegations proven false...because they're pretty ugly.

Myself, I'd pretty much run anything posted about USF past Mucho before believing it. In fact, that's exactly what I was thinking when I read this yesterday...

[PrimeX]

Yeah, I hadn't been around here for a while and new someone was a big USF fan/grad, but couldn't remember who. Just posting to keep this most awesomness of forums going until bowl games start.

[PSUFAN]

Yeah, I hadn't been around here for a while and new someone was a big USF fan/grad, but couldn't remember who. Just posting to keep this most awesomness of forums going until bowl games start.

Prime, I wasn't referring to your post - to be clear, I was reading it the article elsewhere, and thinking, "I'll probably get the skinny from Mucho when someone mentions this at T1B"...which you did, and thanks.

[MuchoBulls]

They also gave up a 60 punt return for a TD.

That was in the first half and it was entirely the punter's fault because he kicked a low line drive right at the return man and our coverage was nowhere near being set up.

[MuchoBulls]

He also headbutted a player who had his helmet on (he's done this before). Coach Leavitt has already said that he was shaking guys on the shoulder pads to get them to wake up. I've seen many coaches do the same thing on the sideline during game.

The father of Joel Miller has already been quoted by both the Tampa Tribune and the St. Petersburg Times as saying the original article by fanhouse misquoted him. The author of the fanhouse article, Brett McMurphy, has a history of taking quotes out of context. He did this while he was the beat reporter for USF for many years. It's no secret that Coach Leavitt did not get along with him for many years.

If the original article was written by Greg Auman (St. Pete Times) or Scott Carter (Tampa Tribune), then I wouldn't have a doubt that the alleged incident occurred. Seeing as Brett McMurphy originated these allegations, I have some doubts that what he alleged actually took place.

It also wouldn't take 3 weeks for the article to surface if something as serious as choking and striking a player in the face did happen.

Knowing McMurphy, he timed it right when he knew our coaches were out recruiting. The article must have worked the way he wanted it to because we just picked up 3 nice commitments yesterday, with one player switching his commitment from Miami to USF.

[MuchoBulls]

Sounds like it will be announced later that Coach Leavitt will be dismissed as the coach of USF.

[MuchoBulls]

There wasn't any doubt that something happened. Coach Leavitt even admitted that he shook the shoulder pads of Joel Miller.

I've been here long enough and those I trust here have told me that there are a group of players and some assistant coaches who wanted him out. I'll be interested to see what the investigation report states once they release it.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

I've been here long enough and those I trust here have told me that there are a group of players and some assistant coaches who wanted him out.

It happens in threes, eh? Unbelievable.

[Bucmonkey]

He's getting railroaded, the inmates are running the asylum.

[MuchoBulls]

Apparently all the coaches have been fired now, so I am guessing the investigation seemed to think there was a cover up.

[Carson]

Nick Saban was shown on local news yelling at players during practice.

Fire him.

[Cuda]

I've been here long enough and those I trust here have told me that there are a group of players and some assistant coaches who wanted him out.

It happens in threes, eh? Unbelievable.

Oh, please, God, g0d & G0D let Hawkins be next

[L45B]

Agreed. 'Ole Woody is turning in his grave.

[SunCoastSooner]

Sounds like he was fired for asking players/coaches to change there story rather that the initial incident/non-incident. WTF is going on in college football? It would appear that those who talk of the pussification of America are correct. It was commonplace in my era for coaches to grab facemasks and drag a player down the sideline during a game, or to slap them upside the head during practice. No one complained and, if the player went home whining to his parents, his dad would tell him to do whatever the coach wants and to quit fucking up in practice....and probably threaten the kid with an ass kickin' if he ever came home whining again. I'm saying that doing those things were the best way to handle problems but there seems to be an overreaction to coaches just being coaches. Wonder if the NCAA will now require sensitivity training for all college football coaches?

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4807719

Hell it was common when I was younger as well and I'm a lot younger than you Mace. I mean I post about what I learned about the Civil War in books but you experienced it first hand.

[MuchoBulls]

Some of our biggest boosters wanted him out and this was their opportunity to do so.

I am all for having expectations for this program, but thinking it is going to be handed to you is nowhere near realistic. Coach Leavitt built us from nothing and put us in a position to play for a BCS Bowl game and potentially a National Championship game in under 10 years. We have grown up fast, maybe too fast for our own good, but if any one of our boosters honestly thought we should be further along than we are, then they are sadly misguided. Yes, we had great success to start 2007, but there was no way we weren't going to lose a couple of those games in the second half of the season.