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

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. 

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

Leavitt had an immediate impact on the college football scene, helping USF achieve a No. 2 national ranking in 2007 and overseeing five straight bowl appearances from 2005-09, winning three. He was fired in 2010, after an investigation determined that he struck a player during halftime of a game the previous fall.

He returned to college football as a defensive coordinator at Colorado, Oregon, FAU and, most recently, at SMU in 2021. 

"He believes he did nothing wrong in this situation," Fleming said. "[It's a] misunderstanding that we hope will be resolved in a favorable way for Mr. Leavitt at some time when we have the ability to make these comments and arguments to the State Attorney's Office."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.