Dec 14th, 2009 | 5:09 pm |
By Travis Duncan
University of South Florida head football coach Jim Leavitt is accused of violence towards a USF player according to a report by FanHouse.com. Sophomore Joel Miller alleges Leavitt grabbed him by the throat and struck him in the face twice during halftime of a Nov. 21st game against Louisville. Leavitt was apparently upset after the walk-on made a first half mistake on special teams.
After the game, Leavitt showed up to the post-game press conference with a bloodied face. “He was fired up. He grabbed somebody, ” senior safety Nate Allen told the St. Petersberg Times about the Nov. 21 incident
“I think it was (walk-on linebacker) LaDre Watkins,” Allen said. “He headbutted him and fell backwards. I couldn’t help but laugh, because that’s the best one I’ve seen. … We were fired up about that one.”
Fanhouse.com contacted Leavitt about the incident and he explained “”Things that happen or don’t happen usually are kept within the team — whether they happen or don’t happen. If you want to talk about recruiting, I’ll talk about recruiting.”
According to Miller when he went to Leavitt’s office two days after the incident Leavitt told him “Before you say anything, just know I am the most powerful man in this building.” Miller says that he had another meeting with Leavitt on Dec. 3rd and the coach apologized for the incident.
South Florida’s athletic director, Doug Woolard has not yet made a public comment on the allegations.
The news comes just weeks after Mark Mangino resigned as head coach at Kansas amid allegations he verbally abused and had inappropriate physical contact with several of his players. Leavitt worked with former Kansas coach Mark Mangino at Kansas State from 1991-1994.
Leavitt was named the head coach at South Florida in 1996, and has taken the Bulls to five straight Bowl games. USF will play Northern Illinois in the International Bowl on Jan 2..
[...] On Dec. 14, Sophomore Joel Miller alleged Leavitt grabbed him by the throat and struck him in the face twice during halftime of a Nov. 21st game against Louisville. Leavitt was apparently upset after the walk-on made a first half mistake on special teams. [...]