Jim Leavitt, the former USF Bulls head football coach who was at the helm from the program's start in 1997 until 2009, was arrested yesterday in Pinellas County. He faces accusations of hitting his ex-girlfriend and stealing Louis Vuitton handbags. FOX 13 News reports an arrest affidavit detailing an incident around 7 p.m. at the Ibis Walk Apartments in St. Petersburg, where Leavitt allegedly struck his former live-in girlfriend.
Leavitt's tenure with the USF Bulls saw the team achieving a notable track record, coaching 11 All-Americans and 38 all-conference players, and leading the team to a bowl game every year from 2005 through 2009, according to information obtained by WFLA News. Yet, the robust legacy he built in college football now contrasts starkly, with charges of grand theft and battery hanging over him like a cloud he can not so easily escape.
The sordid details of the allegations continue as Leavitt faces legal scrutiny, with bail set at a combined $6,000 for the felony grand theft and simple battery charges. Authorities have not mandated a bond for the domestic battery charge, as per details from Tampa Free Press.
The complexity of Leavitt's situation traces the line between personal misconduct and the fall from public grace, further blurring the image of a man once hailed for his sporting prowess.
