USF Fires Coach for ... Coaching

I don't typically stray too far from the nightlife reporting on here. But outside of my passion for the nocturnal life is my love of sports. So I couldn't help but comment on the recent firing of former USF football coach Jim Leavitt.

Having lived in Tampa for a few years, I'm well aware of the job Leavitt has done at USF. Folks have to remember the the University of South Florida didn't have a football program 14 years ago. Jim Leavitt was their first and only head coach. He built the program from ground up when they operated out of trailers held together with duck tape. Today they are members of the Big East conference, are a major player in South Florida recruiting and are routinely featured on national television playing other high-profile programs. To say USF football would not be where it is today without Jim Leavitt is an understatement. Leavitt is USF football!

So the controversy stems from a player who Leavitt "reportedly" grabbed by the throat and then slapped. And yet the player in question and his parents are denying those claims. Most of the close to 100 players at USF stand by their coach. USF however fired Leavitt because "internal and external" investigations found two eyewitness accounts that said otherwise.

Forgive me for thinking this, but we are talking about football right? I mean, this is the sport where you hit people, is it not? And it is a coaches duty to get their team fired up for games and/or when their players might be down on themselves along the sidelines...right? I mean, what type of football team is USF trying to produce?

One of the best quotes I saw in the comment section on ESPN said... "South Florida: fired their coach for grabbing and slapping a kid to get his attention. SLAPPING. The same thing a woman could do to you for an inappropriate pick up line in front of a police officer and not get charged."

Yeah, I'd like to recommend the next coach of USF keep a minimum of 2ft. distance from any player and bring lollipops to practice to keep the kids happy.

Labels: football, sports

posted by DVS @ 2:40 PM