Jim Leavitt, USF Reach Settlement

TAMPA, Fla. -- Former University of South Florida football coach Jim Leavitt and the school reached a $2.75 million settlement, the school and Leavitt's attorney announced Tuesday night.

Leavitt had been seeking up to $7.1 million after filing a wrongful termination lawsuit.

Leavitt was fired "with cause" on Jan. 8, 2010 after a USF investigation concluded Leavitt had struck walk-on Joel Miller, repeatedly lied to investigators and interfered with the four-week investigation.

USF's investigation was prompted following a FanHouse investigative report on Dec. 14, 2009 that Leavitt had grabbed Miller and hit him twice at halftime against Louisville.

Leavitt's wrongful termination lawsuit against the university, filed in March, indicated he was seeking "millions of dollars." Because Leavitt was fired "with cause," the university, according to Leavitt's contract, said he would only be paid one month of his base pay -- about $66,667 -- as opposed to be fired "without cause," in which he would have been entitled to about 75 percent of his remaining seven-year contract, or about $7.1 million.

The settlement reached between USF and Leavitt indicated Leavitt would receive $2 million for "salary and benefits" along with $750,000 "acknowledging Coach Leavitt's contributions to building USF's nationally respected football program." USF's release indicated "non-state resources" would be used to pay the settlement.

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"I'm grateful for the love and support of my family and all of the great people of Tampa Bay," Leavitt said in a statement. "I will always cherish my time at USF and what we built here together."

Wil Florin, Leavitt's attorney, said Monday night he was prohibited from commenting further.

After Leavitt was fired, Miller, now a junior wide receiver for the Bulls, retained high-profile Tampa attorney Barry Cohen. Cohen initially had said if Leavitt didn't give his client a "public apology," they might take legal action.

However, in March, Miller said he was not taking any legal action against Leavitt.

"I told the truth (that Leavitt hit me) because it was the right thing to do, not to make money," Miller said in March. "I am not the one seeking money over this incident or needing friendly 'witnesses' in the pursuit of millions. I sought counsel for guidance, just like every other party did. Time has passed, most people understand what happened, and I am moving forward to more important things in my life."

Miller told FanHouse on Jan. 14 that Leavitt told Miller to meet him after midnight on Dec. 17 in a Tampa church parking lot to continue with the fabricated story that Leavitt had not hit him.

"He (Leavitt) told me to bring everything that happened (during Miller's Dec. 16 testimony with USF investigators) and give him everything that me and the investigators talked about and to write it all down on a piece of paper," Miller told FanHouse on Jan. 14.

The clandestine meeting between Leavitt and Miller was not mentioned in Leavitt's 120-page lawsuit filed against USF.

During his news conference in March to announce his lawsuit against USF, Leavitt said he retained legal representation to get his job back and it wasn't about money.

"Why shouldn't I continue to be head coach at the University of South Florida?" Leavitt said on Jan. 11, 2010. "I'm going to fight for it y'all. I know what's right and I know what's right in my heart and I'm not going to back down because I know what I'm saying is right."

When initially asked by FanHouse about the incident, Leavitt did not deny he struck Miller.

"I'll visit with you about recruiting," Leavitt told FanHouse on Dec. 14, 2009. "All the stuff we do in there (the locker room) ... I'll visit with you about recruiting.

"Things that happen or don't happen usually are kept within the team -- whether they happen or don't happen. If you want to talk about recruiting, I'll talk about recruiting."

After FanHouse's report, Leavitt denied to other media members that he ever struck Miller. USF's investigative report, however, concluded otherwise.

Leavitt was the first coach in USF's history. He was hired in 1995 and built the program from scratch, compiling a 95-57 record in 13 seasons, including four consecutive bowl berths from 2006-09.

Former East Carolina coach Skip Holtz replaced Leavitt last season. In Holtz's first year at USF, the Bulls went 8-5, capped by a 31-26 upset of Clemson in the Meineke Car Care Bowl on Dec. 31.

Brett McMurphy is a national college football writer at FanHouse. Please contact him at brettmcmurphy@gmail.com and please follow at Twitter.com/BrettmcmurphY