Former USF football coach Jim Leavitt arrested on battery and theft charges

Former South Florida football coach Jim Leavitt was arrested Monday evening after authorities said he grabbed his ex-girlfriend, withheld her belongings and shoved a man in the chest.

Leavitt, 68, grabbed the woman’s upper arm as she tried to walk away, according to one of three arrest affidavits filed in Pinellas County, Fla. A witness at the scene corroborated the account.

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He also took the woman’s Louis Vuitton purse, clutch bag and wallet and refused to give them back as she tried to leave, according to another affidavit. He admitted taking the items — valued at more than $5,000 — as he tried to speak with her.

A few minutes later, according to a separate affidavit, Leavitt shoved a man in the chest on the sidewalk. Leavitt told authorities the man walked toward him and “walked into his right hand, making contact with the victim’s chest.”

He faces complaints of domestic battery, simple battery and a felony complaint of grand theft, according to booking records.

Leavitt was the first coach in Bulls history and briefly led the program to a No. 2 national ranking in 2007. Hs 95 wins over 13 years remain the most ever at USF. But his exit was controversial and acrimonious. The school fired him in January 2010 after concluding Leavitt grabbed a player by the throat and slapped him during halftime of a game against Louisville, then interfered with the investigation. Leavitt denied the accusation and later sued the school for wrongful termination. The suit was settled a year later for $2.75 million.

In June, South Florida announced that Leavitt would be inducted into the Bulls’ athletic hall of fame this fall.

As of early Tuesday afternoon, Leavitt was in the custody of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. A hearing was scheduled for later Tuesday.

(Photo: Al Messerschmidt / Getty Images)

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