Leavitt's house for sale

[slick1ru2]

Contacting witnesses during the investigation did him in. His lack of control, wanting to know what was asked and said. Does Leavitt have a sworn testimony by a Secret Service agent that will swear he didn't try and interfere with the investigation? That was the special circumstances that warranted immediate firing. No mediator will look at that and see an innocent man, he will see someone trying to coerce witnesses. Leavitt won't get a dime and he's probably selling his house to pay his attorney.

[LunchTimeBully]

Nice to make $133,333.33 a month. Well, it was nice.

Except the government confiscated more than half of that.

Are you his accountant too?  Depends on his deductions for things like mortgage interest, business expenses, etc.. I mean, what are we paying this year, under 10 percent on 6 digit income. And still you are talkiing 3/4 of a mil after taxes.

I don't think guys making $1million a year get a lot of their schedule A deductions.  At some level they start limiting your deductions.  Also, I think all his "business expenses" were reimbursed by the school/usfaa so can't deduct that either.

Not to mention property taxes in Florida are outrageous.

Leavitt currently has more money than 99% of the people reading this board will ever see in their lifetime. It's hard to feel bad for him... and property taxes have dropped dramatically with the economy.

And he has EARNED every single penny of it!

Jim spent years at Morningside College making peanuts, then at 30 years old he went to graduate school at Iowa just so he could work for nothing as a graduate assistant in order to get into D-1 football. He left K-State taking a big pay cut to come to USF for a truck driver's salary to start the football program which made USF millions upon millions of $$$$ going to support all the non-revenue sports.  So I believe Jim, after all these years, should finally get just a small percentage of those millions he has earned the University.  It took him 30 years of sacrifice to get to the salary he deserved only to get kicked to the curb by Woolard.

He was the 2nd highest paid coach in the Big East and we finished 6th place (out of 8) the past 2 years. Brian Kelly won 2  consecutive Big East championships with a significantly smaller paycheck...

[slick1ru2]

Nice to make $133,333.33 a month. Well, it was nice.

Except the government confiscated more than half of that.

Are you his accountant too?  Depends on his deductions for things like mortgage interest, business expenses, etc.. I mean, what are we paying this year, under 10 percent on 6 digit income. And still you are talkiing 3/4 of a mil after taxes.

I don't think guys making $1million a year get a lot of their schedule A deductions.  At some level they start limiting your deductions.  Also, I think all his "business expenses" were reimbursed by the school/usfaa so can't deduct that either.

Not to mention property taxes in Florida are outrageous.

Leavitt currently has more money than 99% of the people reading this board will ever see in their lifetime. It's hard to feel bad for him... and property taxes have dropped dramatically with the economy.

And he has EARNED every single penny of it!

Jim spent years at Morningside College making peanuts, then at 30 years old he went to graduate school at Iowa just so he could work for nothing as a graduate assistant in order to get into D-1 football. He left K-State taking a big pay cut to come to USF for a truck driver's salary to start the football program which made USF millions upon millions of $$$$ going to support all the non-revenue sports.  So I believe Jim, after all these years, should finally get just a small percentage of those millions he has earned the University.  It took him 30 years of sacrifice to get to the salary he deserved only to get kicked to the curb by Woolard.

if by kicked to the curb...

you mean going nuts, headbutting and slapping players during halftime of a game we were winning... then lying to investigators and breaking the rules of the investigation...

then yeah he was kicked to the curb by woolard

Sooner or later you're going to have to face the fact YOUR BOY LIED!

Miller has Erskin while Leavitt has the sworn testimony of a state trooper and another player that was closer than the 50 feet away Erskin was.

So you are saying if you are at a MMA or boxing event, you might as well not go unless you are closer then 50 feet, you won't see anything? LOL  Where is this Trooper statement? And does it say he didn't see him strike him or he didn't strike him when he was looking at him? USF interviewed both State Troopers that escorted Leavitt that day. Are you saying the trooper said one thing to Leavitt and another to USF? Hmmmm. Leavitt might want to sue this Trooper then if he lied to the school and lost his job partly because of it. Of course, that will all come out in mediation, if there ever will be mediation.

[2000bull]

Excellent!  Mizzou is back, and another Leavitt story comes out.  Coincidence?  I think not.   >

And what story would that be?

Leavitt's attorneys conducted a real investigation, not a railroad job.  They found that the two accusers were over 50 feet away while a state trooper was closer and has sworn out an affadavit that no slap occurred.   That corroborates the player that backed Leavitt's story.

I have a question....wouldn't leavitt's attorney's be biased in their investigation? meaning a railroad job against USF?  ???

[Who'sYourData?]

A statement by anyone saying they DID NOT see a particular event isn't very useful.  The fact that the trooper was closer does not mean he had a better view.  If he was standing behing Leavitt, while the other players were at a 45 degree angle, for example, they could have had a better view.  Did the trooper say that he could see Leavitt's hand THE ENTIRE TIME, and never looked away during the entire conversation?  It's much easier to prove a positive than a negative.  Two witnesses that say something did happen carries more weight than 10 witnesses saying it did not happen.

By the way, do you think your friend's attorneys would be happy with you leaking details of an ongoing legal proceeding?

[USF_Grouper]

Interesting to note that the article on the home for sale said that Leavitt is still seeking mediation, like they aren't mediating.

USF hasn't done didley squat.

They were supposed to have the first mediation meeting last Saturday and USF asked for a postponement until this Saturday.

Maybe USF is just trying to send a message, you know get through to him, slap him around a bit.  In the long run, it will make him a better man you know.

[Bullpride08]

Contacting witnesses during the investigation did him in. His lack of control, wanting to know what was asked and said. Does Leavitt have a sworn testimony by a Secret Service agent that will swear he didn't try and interfere with the investigation? That was the special circumstances that warranted immediate firing. No mediator will look at that and see an innocent man, he will see someone trying to coerce witnesses. Leavitt won't get a dime and he's probably selling his house to pay his attorney.

First you're a 'crackpot accountant' that doesn't know diddily about deductions for the top tier wage earners.  Now you're a first rate mediator who's already tried this case?

What a shock, another expert on this board?  I am guessing still in college too. :

FYI- Mediation, when it goes this far, is not deciding about culpability, but financial responsibility.  A mediator is not equipped, nor trained to decide a criminal trial, all he's trained to do is look over contracts and determine if someone violated their agreement.  In this instance, USF violated some level of Leavitt's rights in their contract between one another-- due process.  Look up his contract, it's fairly obvious that in USF's hurry to fire they misstepped....so they will be responsible for some measure of a settlement.  Take all level of biaseness of who's responsible, or who did what.  Leavitt was a good man, as a strong donor he's always been good to the fans and school.  This incident happened, it's tragic, but we move on however that does not excuse USF from ignoring their obligations in his contract.

NOW, if Leavitt gets to greedy they could threaten court proceedings, and tying this up in litigation....however the presumption is both sides will find an amicable 'mediation'.

[slick1ru2]

Nice to make $133,333.33 a month. Well, it was nice.

Except the government confiscated more than half of that.

Are you his accountant too?  Depends on his deductions for things like mortgage interest, business expenses, etc.. I mean, what are we paying this year, under 10 percent on 6 digit income. And still you are talkiing 3/4 of a mil after taxes.

I don't think guys making $1million a year get a lot of their schedule A deductions.  At some level they start limiting your deductions.  Also, I think all his "business expenses" were reimbursed by the school/usfaa so can't deduct that either.

Not to mention property taxes in Florida are outrageous.

Leavitt currently has more money than 99% of the people reading this board will ever see in their lifetime. It's hard to feel bad for him... and property taxes have dropped dramatically with the economy.

And he has EARNED every single penny of it!

Jim spent years at Morningside College making peanuts, then at 30 years old he went to graduate school at Iowa just so he could work for nothing as a graduate assistant in order to get into D-1 football. He left K-State taking a big pay cut to come to USF for a truck driver's salary to start the football program which made USF millions upon millions of $$$$ going to support all the non-revenue sports.  So I believe Jim, after all these years, should finally get just a small percentage of those millions he has earned the University.  It took him 30 years of sacrifice to get to the salary he deserved only to get kicked to the curb by Woolard.

if by kicked to the curb...

you mean going nuts, headbutting and slapping players during halftime of a game we were winning... then lying to investigators and breaking the rules of the investigation...

then yeah he was kicked to the curb by woolard

Sooner or later you're going to have to face the fact YOUR BOY LIED!

Miller has Erskin while Leavitt has the sworn testimony of a state trooper and another player that was closer than the 50 feet away Erskin was.

So you are saying if you are at a MMA or boxing event, you might as well not go unless you are closer then 50 feet, you won't see anything? LOL  Where is this Trooper statement? And does it say he didn't see him strike him or he didn't strike him when he was looking at him? USF interviewed both State Troopers that escorted Leavitt that day. Are you saying the trooper said one thing to Leavitt and another to USF? Hmmmm. Leavitt might want to sue this Trooper then if he lied to the school and lost his job partly because of it. Of course, that will all come out in mediation, if there ever will be mediation.

LOL!  I think you better stick to video games and message board posting because you're certainly no Melvin Belli.

The Gonzales/USF witch hunt didn't even bother to interview the trooper.  Probably because his testimony wouldn't serve their purpose.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/08/081759/report-leavitt-struck-player-and-his-denials-not-c/sports-colleges-bulls/

Report: Leavitt did strike player; his denials not credible

By DENNIS JOYCE and LINDSEY PETERSON

djoyce@tampatrib.com, lpeterson@tampatrib.com

University of South Florida interviewers concluded that head football coach Jim Leavitt did grab a player's throat and slap him twice on the cheek during halftime of the Bulls game against Louisville on Nov. 21, then lied to investigators about the incident.

The findings are based on accounts from other players who saw the incident, including one who said "he knew he had witnessed a crime," and on inconsistencies in statements by Leavitt and the player he confronted – sophomore walk-on Joel Miller.

USF fired Leavitt today and released a report of its investigation into the incident.

The decision was based on a "preponderance of evidence," USF Vice President Michael Hoad said during a press conference today. It was reached jointly on Thursday night by USF President Judy Genshaft and Athletics Director Doug Woolard, Hoad said.

USF interviewers talked to 21 students, including five students they described as witnesses to the incident, including Miller. They also spoke with strength coach Ron McKeefery and two state troopers who usually escort Leavitt from the field to the locker room during games.

Miller told reporters and the interviewers that Leavitt did not strike him.

The report concludes, however, that Leavitt did make "inappropriate physical contact."

"In the course of Coach Leavitt's travels about the locker room, he approached (Miller), who was seated at his locker. Leavitt yelled at (Miller). Leavitt then placed his hand on the player's throat and slapped him twice on the cheek. These actions were personally observed by several Athletes who had the clearest line of sight to the event."

"Despite Coach Leavitt and (Miller's) denial ... reviewers find it more likely that contact did, in fact, occur to the face and throat/neck area of (Miller). This report was substantiated by multiple reports from credible direct eye witnesses whose recollection was corroborated."

One of the other players who witnessed the incident said he saw Leavitt raise his arm in a way that might have led to a strike, but the player turned away to avoid a confrontation of his own with the coach. The fifth player said Leavitt did not strike Miller.

None of the players are identified in the report.

One of the players, described as Athlete B, said "he knew he had witnessed a crime and knew what he saw was wrong. He indicated he felt betrayed and that the values and standards that had been taught to them had been violated."

He described the incident as an "assault" and said he hasn't been able to eat or sleep because of it, according to the report.

Athlete B also said he went to Leavitt afterward about the incident.

Leavitt, describing his own actions, said he "wasn't wrong" and that he had grabbed Miller – described in the report as Athlete A – by the shoulder pads and said only "good, positive things" to him, Athlete B told the interviewers.

Leavitt also told him he was "fighting for [his] job," and said about Athlete B, "you of all people. You're the last person I would have thought would have come and questioned me."

Leavitt also told reviewers he knelt in front of the seated Miller as he spoke to him, but no other witnesses agreed with that description.

"All accounts described Leavitt as standing on his feet directly in front of (Miller) and speaking in a direct, aggressive and disturbed fashion. Someone in the locker room gasped, causing several other players to turn to see what had happened."

Another player, identified in the report as Student Athlete C, is described as a witness who was in a position to see the incident. He described it as "Leavitt grabbing (Miller) by the throat and striking him twice on the face with an open hand."

The witness described his reaction as disbelief at what had happened.

Student Athlete C told reviewers that the fact Leavitt "flat out lied" in the newspaper was what upset him most.

"Leavitt is a hell of a coach, but he crossed the line," the player is quoted as saying in the report. "It was wrong and he should have stepped up and admitted he was wrong."

Much of the report focuses on comments Miller made to others after the incident, including players, USF coaches and his former coach at Wharton High School.

Several teammates related Miller's account of a meeting he had later with Leavitt , where Leavitt is said to have told Miller to "choose his words wisely," because he, Leavitt, was "the most powerful man in the building."

Both Miller and Leavitt denied the coach said that. Leavitt said the words "aren't in my vocabulary."

Here are other highlights from the findings of the report:

Levitt said he only grabbed Miller's shoulder pads and shook him, but interviewers concluded he "placed his hand on the player's throat and slapped him twice in the cheek. … This report was substantiated by multiple reports from credible direct eye witnesses whose recollection was corroborated."

Leavitt told interviewers he apologized to Miller for shaking him, but Miller told reporters Leavitt never did because "he had nothing to apologize about."

Asked at the press conference whether USF officials have referred the report to law enforcement agencies, spokesman Hoad said, "That's not for them to decide."

The 30-page report is signed by Sandy Lovins, USF associate vice president for human resources, and Tampa attorney Thomas M. Gonzalez, who acted as an outside consultant in the case. They were appointed by the university Dec. 16 to conduct a review after news of the incident was reported on the sports Web site FanHouse.com.

The report closes with a new development in the case that occurred just this week.

Lovins and Gonzales said they learned that on Monday, after the Bulls returned from a win in the post-season International Bowl in Toronto, an athlete they interviewed reported being "retaliated against by Coach Leavitt for participating in the investigation."

The team equipment manager, according to the report, had been instructed by Leavitt to clean out the athlete's locker.

Upon notification, the report said, the Athletics Department restored the athlete's locker privileges.

[Bullpride08]

I get so tired of reading childish debates from 20 year old college students on this board. 

Let's stop with the using media articles, and reports as prosecuting exhibits?  That's not a credible source, again coming from a bent opinion...also how did this get back on topic about Leavitt's guilt.  It was about USF paying, and they will, because they're going to mediation recognizing at some level they violated the letter of their agreement with Leavitt regarding due process-- federal employment court is hellish I promise and USF doesn't want to be big brother, who violates a contract, and doesn't pay, during these times, in employment court.

USF will pay some money regardless how many foolish articles you post.  Take out the incident, this is about contractual obligations.

And don't claim that they can pay him 'nothing for cause'....to determine cause USF would need far more than that Gonzalez report.  They would need to prove it in a court of LAW.  A court of law, with the law firm USF uses...would cost well north of $100k for USF's defense alone.  Remember within that report proffered up by Gonzalez, and Genshaft...it took two very distinct pathes....a group that said 'it did happen', and a group that said it 'did not'.  Oddly they're nearly equal, and even more oddly certain key 'did not' witnesses like the Trooper, and Durakovic's dad who both volunteered but were never interviewed.

SO, what would happen is a ton of 'alleged' 'eyewitness' accounts...and then USF would stand the chance that a jury would have to look at a State Trooper, and tell him he's lying.

AGAIN, throw out who's right here, just recognize that to 'determine cause' is to costly and possibly embarrassing for USF....therefore by the letter of their agreement USF is responsible for some measure of settlement.

[slick1ru2]

Contacting witnesses during the investigation did him in. His lack of control, wanting to know what was asked and said. Does Leavitt have a sworn testimony by a Secret Service agent that will swear he didn't try and interfere with the investigation? That was the special circumstances that warranted immediate firing. No mediator will look at that and see an innocent man, he will see someone trying to coerce witnesses. Leavitt won't get a dime and he's probably selling his house to pay his attorney.

First you're a 'crackpot accountant' that doesn't know diddily about deductions for the top tier wage earners.  Now you're a first rate mediator who's already tried this case?

What a shock, another expert on this board?  I am guessing still in college too. :

FYI- Mediation, when it goes this far, is not deciding about culpability, but financial responsibility.  A mediator is not equipped, nor trained to decide a criminal trial, all he's trained to do is look over contracts and determine if someone violated their agreement.  In this instance, USF violated some level of Leavitt's rights in their contract between one another-- due process.  Look up his contract, it's fairly obvious that in USF's hurry to fire they misstepped....so they will be responsible for some measure of a settlement.  Take all level of biaseness of who's responsible, or who did what.  Leavitt was a good man, as a strong donor he's always been good to the fans and school.  This incident happened, it's tragic, but we move on however that does not excuse USF from ignoring their obligations in his contract.

NOW, if Leavitt gets to greedy they could threaten court proceedings, and tying this up in litigation....however the presumption is both sides will find an amicable 'mediation'.

Don't forget Thomas Gonzalez, that first rate crack expert on employer law who USF hired to guide them through the investigation so that they would NOT owe Leavitt a dime, having a solid case for dismissing him for cause. And in Florida, most certified mediators are attorneys. Also in Florida most court cases require prior mediation. You sound like you know so much and so little at the same time. An amazing feat. And btw, when I was going to USF the top tax bracket was 50% vs,, what 35%, now.  So your guess is only off by a couple decades as to when I was in college. And I got a tip for you there, English major is it?  S P E L L C H E C K