By ALEX RASKIN, US SPORT NEWS EDITOR
Published: 14:01 EDT, 26 August 2025 | Updated: 14:08 EDT, 26 August 2025
Jim Leavitt, formerly the head coach at the University of South Florida and an assistant coach in the NFL, has been arrested on charges of misdemeanor battery and felony grand theft following an alleged interaction with a woman at a St. Petersburg, Florida apartment complex.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Daily Mail, the 68-year-old is accused of grabbing the woman by the arm and taking a Louis Vuitton purse, clutch and wallet that belonged to her. Combined, those items are valued at somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000, the Times reported.
Police say Leavitt acknowledged taking the items as the woman attempted to leave.
There is a separate affidavit in which Leavitt is also accused of pushing a man on the chest with his right hand. Leavitt, however, told officers that the man walked into his hand.
The exact relationship between the parties remains unclear, but the Times has reported that Leavitt and the woman once both shared the same listed residence.
Leavitt is facing complaints of domestic battery, simple battery and a felony complaint of grand theft, according to online booking records.
Jim Leavitt, formerly the head coach at the University of South Florida and an assistant coach in the NFL, has been arrested on charges of misdemeanor battery and felony grand theft
Jim Leavitt directs play against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Raymond James Stadium in 2008
The first coach in South Florida Bulls history, Leavitt somehow managed to guide USF to the No. 2 ranking during the 2007 season. However his run at the Tampa school would end in 2010 after he was accused of grabbing a player by the throat and slapping him. Leavitt was also accused of interfering with a subsequent investigation.
He would later settle a wrongful termination lawsuit with the school for $2.75 million. Since then, the school has announced he would be inducted into the USF Sports Hall of Fame this fall.
Leavitt was scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday afternoon as he remained in police custody in Pinellas County.
Leavitt last coached at SMU, where he served as the defensive coordinator in 2021. Previously he served as the San Francisco 49ers linebackers coach and as DC at Oregon and Colorado.