Former USF football coach Jim Leavitt charged with battery, theft after alleged altercation with ex-girlfriend

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Former University of South Florida football coach Jim Leavitt is facing several charges, including theft and battery, after he was arrested in Florida on Monday following an alleged altercation with an ex-girlfriend, according to police records. 

Leavitt, 68, was charged with a felony count of grand theft and two misdemeanor charges of simple battery and domestic battery after an alleged altercation with his ex-girlfriend that Monday night. 

FILE - South Florida head coach Jim Leavitt watches his team play Charleston Southern during an NCAA college football game in Tampa, Florida, on Sept. 19, 2009.   (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

According to an arrest report from the St. Petersburg Police Department, Leavitt is accused of grabbing the woman by her arm as she tried to walk away from him. Additionally, he is accused of taking the woman’s Louis Vuitton purse, clutch, and wallet, which were valued at over $5,000. 

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Leavitt is also accused of pushing another man in the chest during the altercation.

He was released the following day, according to online jail records from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. 

Leavitt, 68, was charged with a felony count of grand theft and two misdemeanor charges of simple battery and domestic battery after an alleged altercation with his ex-girlfriend on Aug. 25, 2025.  (St. Petersburg Police Department)

Leavitt was inducted into the USF Athletic Hall of Fame this year. 

He was the school’s first football coach when the program debuted in 1997. After 13 seasons with the Bulls, he remains the winningest coach in program history with a 95-57 record.