Former USF coach Jim Leavitt arrested on battery, grand theft charges

Former University of South Florida football coach Jim Leavitt was arrested Monday in Pinellas County, Fla. on charges including simple battery, domestic battery, and grand theft greater than $5,000. According to WFLA, Leavitt remains in jail as of Tuesday.

An arrest affidavit by the St. Petersburg Police Department states that the incident took place at Ibis Walk Apartments in St. Petersburg, with records stating that Leavitt grabbed his ex-girlfriend by the arm as she attempted to walk away from him. Leavitt allegedly took a Louis Vuitton purse, wallet and clutch, collectively valued at $5,000 but less than $10,000. Leavitt is also accused of pushing a man at the same apartment complex in the chest, though he did not cause bodily harm.

Leavitt was the head coach of USF's football program from its inception in 1997 until 2009, coaching the upstart Bulls into a Bowl-caliber program. Under Leavitt, USF had 10 winning seasons and reached a Bowl game every year from 2005 until 2009, and also produced 11 All-Americans and 38 all-conference players -- including a pair of first round NFL Draft picks in Mike Jenkins (2008) and Jason Pierre-Paul (2010).

However, Leavitt was fired in 2010 after an investigation concluded that he had grabbed one of his players by the throat and slapped him in the face at halftime of a game against Louisville after a mistake they had made on special teams. Leavitt claimed that he had been trying to console the player in question, but investigators later determined this claim to have been a lie.

Leavitt, whose 95-57 record remains the best in program history, is scheduled to be inducted into the USF Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 2.