Did Fired USF Head Coach Jim Leavitt Really Overstep a Boundary?

[Matt]

Well, I didn't really mean it anyway, I felt under pressure as board moderator to apologize.  As soon as you are banned, I'll tell everyone exactly how I feel about you.  

just a click away.....just a click away....

http://www.tampalawfirm.com/Home01.aspx

[Triple B]

Your point is correct.

Just about anything could get have gotten him fired, if that was what was wanted.

And if that's the case, USF has clearly allowed this situation of a coach having contact of any type with players for far too long and has some serious liability.

The difference is unwanted contact. Boxing, MMA and all those other sports are legal because people ALLOW others to do that to them. Joel didn't want the contact Leavitt did to him. Pure and simple. And the rules of USF don't allow it. And if USF didn't enforce those rules, the I would imagine the regents would step in and maybe the NCAA.

So every unwanted contact surrounding a college football program, not including games, would be grounds for dismissal ...... You've made some good points but this, however,  definitely isn't one of them .... Just stop with the "unwanted contact" ********.

[smazza]

Glad to see a fresh thought and not regurgitated fanhouse reporting...remember my post regarding Joel attending Leavitt's camp since he was 10 years old, giving up a schollie at The Citadel to walk on to Leavitt's team?  It's a similar perspective from a former college football player

Did Fired USF Head Coach Jim Leavitt Really Overstep a Boundary?

by Rob Lunn on Jan 11, 2010 1:56:27 PM

Jim Leavitt When I first read that USF head coach Jim Leavitt had been fired, my initial reaction was, "It's about time." But after the dust settled, and my bias against USF started to wane, I began to dissect the situation and much to my chagrin, I felt -- dare I say -- sympathetic.

Was this really me, the hater of the master grunter himself, possibly seeing his point of view? It was.  And here's why.

After 13 seasons and the only coach USF has ever known, Leavitt had a level of familiarity and security that few others in the college football ranks have ever enjoyed. While the details of the incident in which he reportedly struck a player are not completely clear, the end result is: he was fired. But you have to ask yourself why, after 13 years, would this suddenly happen?

According to reports, the player whom Leavitt allegedly struck was one with whom Leavitt had a prior relationship. The mark of a good coach is treating all his players fairly, but not necessarily treating each one the same. Good coaches have intuition about which players they can (metaphorically) push, which ones are self-motivated and which players will respond or shut down when faced with a verbal assault.

I genuinely believe that while his actions, if true, are reprehensible and certainly grounds for dismissal, it may be simply a case of misreading a player -- as in Leavitt felt a level of comfort and overstepped a boundary. A boundary that existed to the player, but not to coach Leavitt.

I'm sure I'd be singing a different tune if it was my son or daughter that was struck, but to go out and think that Leavitt's act was that of a mad man unable to control his emotions is false. Fire him for hitting a player? Absolutely. But at least try to see his side of it.

Restraint might not be his strong suit and he probably should have exercised more of it. But, in the heat of the moment and in the bubble of college football, the rules of normal, functioning society don't usually apply. If you behaved the way you do on a football field in the real world, there wouldn't be 15-yard flags, there would be 50-year prison sentences. I am simply arguing that it may have been a clouding of judgment, an overlapping of two worlds.

We are looking at the actions of Leavitt through the critical lens of society, not a football locker room.

Of course I'm not addressing the fact that Leavitt reportedly tried to interfere with the investigation and was effectively stonewalling reporters and USF administrators. You should never hit a player, but I'd be lying if I said that, as a former player, I couldn't understand how this happened. Because -- and I hate to say it -- I can.

USF has already ruled on the issue, but before the court of public opinion decides to make Jim Leavitt the poster boy for what's wrong with sports today, just know that these situations always lend themselves to time and circumstance. In many cases, as in this one, hindsight might not always be 20-20.

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About the Author

Rob Lunn graduated from the University of Connecticut, where he was a defensive tackle for the Huskies. He played professional football for the Carinthian Black Lions in Austria. In addition to his contributions to NESN.com, Lunn contributes to The Official Blog of Chris Cooley and Deadspin.

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Link

yeah

you strike or grab a kid

leavitt is lucky he isnt going to jail