Miller family retains Barry Cohen

[Brad]

What does this say about the character of some of the players that said they personally saw Leavitt grab him by the "shoulder pads" just to motivate him?

It says they didn't see what only two other players saw.  Character issues so far:

1)  5 anonymous players, apparently led by Erskin, going to McMurphy with exact same story (but they went "independently", right). 

2)  Joel Miller lying/changing his story

3)  Jim Leavitt lying/offering contradicting statements

4)  Reporter manipulating/using young kids for professional gain

5)  Investigators rushed report after last Fanhouse report, full of grammatical errors and hearsay.  Not a professional job at all.

It all depends on the prism from which you view this train wreck.

Sad time to be a fan or a graduate of this institution.

Erskin wasnt the one, if you read the report you would see it was Ben. So basically nothing can convince you. You can't just realize that this happened. You have to try and make the story as unbelievable as possible and throw enough c r a p on the wall so that it will distort the truth? I understand this whole thing is convoluted. But an outside expert and now the player involved himself is showing you what exactly happened.

Report:  After the FanHouse article was published, Student Athlete O said that

Student A told Student Athlete O “thanks a lot for ruining my career”. In a separate interview,

Student A responded to this alleged statement by denying saying that to Student O, but rather

said that he said, “thanks for ruining things because of your deal with Leavitt”.

[Brad]

Miller is saying through his attorney that Leavitt did strike him and that he lied to cover for him. Finally confirmation for all of those wondering that this did in fact happen.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/10/110628/usf-player-hires-cohen-attorney/sports-colleges-bulls/

We are to believe Joel Miller now?  He now speaks the truth through Barry Cohen?

yet you continue to believe leavitt who has obviously lied

Matt, where have I stated that?  Please answer.

[Defdans]

Miller is saying through his attorney that Leavitt did strike him and that he lied to cover for him. Finally confirmation for all of those wondering that this did in fact happen.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/10/110628/usf-player-hires-cohen-attorney/sports-colleges-bulls/

We are to believe Joel Miller now?  He now speaks the truth through Barry Cohen?

Now that he can tell what happened, and the coach has lost his job, its obvious. How can you still believe nothing happened? This is amazing.

truely amazing.  I wish we could change the name from Leavitt to O"Leary on the report what Brad and the gang would think.  

This story is clear as day to anyone with an unbiased mind.  

He hit, he lied, he got fired.  He did it in a room full of people and still wasnt retained.  Im hoping some video evidence comes about so people can say its a imposter.  I mean whats next?

he who defends everything, defends nothing.  This is laughable, Leavitt is undefendable here.  Thanks for building the program, I hope you get honored at USF in the future, but your tenure here was rightfully ended.  

I agree completely.  It's hard to fathom anyone still thinking Leavitt didn't deserve to be fired.  

[Matt]

Miller is saying through his attorney that Leavitt did strike him and that he lied to cover for him. Finally confirmation for all of those wondering that this did in fact happen.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/10/110628/usf-player-hires-cohen-attorney/sports-colleges-bulls/

We are to believe Joel Miller now?  He now speaks the truth through Barry Cohen?

yet you continue to believe leavitt who has obviously lied

Matt, where have I stated that?  Please answer.

maybe not those exact words that you believe him but you have clearly been on the "he was just trying to motivate him, this is a cover-up, etc" part of the story.

you were even kind enough to share your basketball flash back about being kicked in the shins before.

i dont know where or when you changed your stance (i dont read all the topics on here) but i have gotten the feeling that you were on leavitt's side thru this.  maybe that changed at some point. 

[Brad]

Miller is saying through his attorney that Leavitt did strike him and that he lied to cover for him. Finally confirmation for all of those wondering that this did in fact happen.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/10/110628/usf-player-hires-cohen-attorney/sports-colleges-bulls/

We are to believe Joel Miller now?  He now speaks the truth through Barry Cohen?

yet you continue to believe leavitt who has obviously lied

Matt, where have I stated that?  Please answer.

maybe not those exact words that you believe him but you have clearly been on the "he was just trying to motivate him, this is a cover-up, etc" part of the story.

Matt, I challenge you to find that as well.

you were even kind enough to share your basketball flash back about being kicked in the shins before.

And that was to illustrate that it happens, and for me it worked.  Maybe not for everyone.

i dont know where or when you changed your stance (i dont read all the topics on here) but i have gotten the feeling that you were on leavitt's side thru this.  maybe that changed at some point. 

I have been on the side of not hanging Leavitt until the report was completed.  It was announced on Friday.  I said nothing of it.  The man was hanged.

You surprise me.

[hbryan]

I think that most on here owe Erskin an apology as well as the others that we all know who they are as well.

What does this say about the character of some of the players that said they personally saw Leavitt grab him by the "shoulder pads" just to motivate him?

Sorry, but I think some of the young men on this team handled it like kids and they are owed nothing.  I for one don't believe the Miller comment about Leavitt saying "I am the most important man in this building" and this is locker room stuff that should have stayed strictly with the team.  Plus Erskin has admitted to openly defying the head coach when told not to wear long sleeve gear during a cold day which is insubordination.  There is a chain of command but instead they went the route to get Leavitt fired through someone who has been on a constant crusade to inflict damage on USF athletics, not very stand up guys in my book.  He needs to go on his way and let the door hit him where the good Lord split him.  Good riddance.

Once it got out in this fashion, Leavitt deserved to be fired since he was not completely honest to investigators.  That however, should not obscure the fact that rather than going to the coach first, AD, etc. and instead going to Brett McTurd and DUImeg, they have ruined any good will that many here and elsewhere would have felt towards them.  I am not a Leavitt apologist, a Leavitt fan, or anything of the sort.  I have thought since year before last that USF could do better but that won't alter my opinion of how this all went down. Everyone of those involved have some culpability to the seedy nature in what has transpired.  It wasn't good for USF and it certainly wasn't good for anyone involved, that's a fact.

[redfisher78]

Bulliever, can you simply say you believe he did something wrong?

[Bruce Blingstein]

Miller is saying through his attorney that Leavitt did strike him and that he lied to cover for him. Finally confirmation for all of those wondering that this did in fact happen.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/10/110628/usf-player-hires-cohen-attorney/sports-colleges-bulls/

We are to believe Joel Miller now?  He now speaks the truth through Barry Cohen?

Now that he can tell what happened, and the coach has lost his job, its obvious. How can you still believe nothing happened? This is amazing.

truely amazing.  I wish we could change the name from Leavitt to O"Leary on the report what Brad and the gang would think.  

This story is clear as day to anyone with an unbiased mind.  

He hit, he lied, he got fired.  He did it in a room full of people and still wasnt retained.  Im hoping some video evidence comes about so people can say its a imposter.  I mean whats next?

he who defends everything, defends nothing.  This is laughable, Leavitt is undefendable here.  Thanks for building the program, I hope you get honored at USF in the future, but your tenure here was rightfully ended.  

"How can you still believe nothing happened?" 

You guys are ridiculous.  I never said that.  I believed something happened weeks ago.  The problem is you want a slam dunk and the case closed.  This is not over, that is my speculation.

Did I say the report was wrong, or that Leavitt shouldn't have been fired?  No.  But you don't like questions being asked, so again you attack me.

We are discussing why the Millers have hired an attorney.  It could be for a number of reasons many of which are being discussed in this thread.  I have also commented on what I believe to be sheer incompetence on the part of USF. 

Sometimes, I wish those of you that like to draw a line in the sand and fight over the silliest of things would simply grow up or shut up.

I never said you didnt belive "nothing" happened and I also did not attack.  and I am grown up and I will not shut up. 

Im puzzled on how this is being portrayed into a reporters fault, an alphabet player, Miller, or anyone elses fault.  Its so friggin clear its unbelievable.  You think Leavitt would order people to change their stories if he didnt do anything wrong or it was a love tap?  Cmon.

Change Leavitt to O'Leary and please tell me what you would say.  Its rhetorical, I already know.  You are biased, Brad.  Its not making you look reasonable which I will say even when we dont agree I always think you are reasonable.  You are not here.  You are defending, the undefendable.

[bulldozier1]

I said from the beginning. There was NO WAY in HELL he could have come out and say Jimmy choked and hit him. They would have ran him and his family out of town. Now to his father. He should have whoop his ass. Like one of the players said, "it would have been a player and coach brawl." Luckily it wasn't a player like Kion Wilson. 

[Brad]

I think that most on here owe Erskin an apology as well as the others that we all know who they are as well.

What does this say about the character of some of the players that said they personally saw Leavitt grab him by the "shoulder pads" just to motivate him?

Sorry, but I think some of the young men on this team handled it like kids and they are owed nothing.  I for one don't believe the Miller comment about Leavitt saying "I am the most important man in this building" and this is locker room stuff that should have stayed strictly with the team.  Plus Erskin has admitted to openly defying the head coach when told not to wear long sleeve gear during a cold day which is insubordination.  There is a chain of command but instead they went the route to get Leavitt fired through someone who has been on a constant crusade to inflict damage on USF athletics, not very stand up guys in my book.  He needs to go on his way and let the door hit him where the good Lord split him.  Good riddance.

Once it got out in this fashion, Leavitt deserved to be fired since he was not completely honest to investigators.  That however, should not obscure the fact that rather than going to the coach first, AD, etc. and instead going to Brett McTurd and DUImeg, they have ruined any good will that many here and elsewhere would have felt towards them.  I am not a Leavitt apologist, a Leavitt fan, or anything of the sort.  I have thought since year before last that USF could do better but that won't alter my opinion of how this all went down. Everyone of those involved have some culpability to the seedy nature in what has transpired.  It wasn't good for USF and it certainly wasn't good for anyone involved, that's a fact.

And you and I have butted heads on issues regarding expectations and on field performance, but we see eye to eye on this.  It's refreshing to see someone not use this as a tool to exact punishment for on field performance.  All along hbryan has stood for a fair investigation.  I applaud you.  We'll argue about the next thing, but watching your commentary throughout this process has showed me you are an honorable person.