Expensive College Of South Florida:
I’m not a USF graduate nor am I associated to Joel Miller, the previous USF soccer participant your former coach Jim Leavitt assaulted in your locker room in entrance of 30 of your gamers who you paid $2.75 million to go away and by no means come again as a result of he assaulted considered one of your gamers.
I’m, nevertheless, a father to 2 younger males who are actually of their 30s with households of their very own, considered one of whom was as soon as a youth soccer rival of Joel’s who later grew to become good buddies with him — shut sufficient buddies that Joel’s mom Kathy says she thinks of my son as Joel’s brother.
However, Joel by no means made it to his 30s. He by no means received to have a household and even dwell to see if he might make his dream of enjoying within the NFL in the future come true. And why?
As a result of Jim Leavitt determined to make an instance of Joel at halftime of a sport that USF was successful, by the way in which, by holding him by the throat, slamming him in opposition to the wall and — in line with the reenactment Joel did for me of the occasions of that day in November 2009 — putting him with a closed fist 3 times, all in entrance of these 30 gamers.
However, Joel took this felony assault like a person. He completed out the sport and the season with none try on his half to hunt publicity, press costs or get cash out of his college and even out of Jim Leavitt. All Joel wished to do was play soccer. And the one factor he ever wished from Jim Leavitt was an apology that by no means got here.
It was one other participant who witnessed Coach Leavitt’s assault on Joel who contacted the native sports activities radio station. Colby Erskin wasn’t even essentially calling the station to speak about Joel. Colby was calling to say that Jim Leavitt had gotten an assistant coach to throw all of his gear out of his locker and right into a driving rain. He simply inadvertently talked about that what Leavitt did to him wasn’t practically as dangerous as what he did to Joel.
And that lit the fireplace that Joel’s mom Kathy, his father Paul and his sister Jamie know of their hearts in the end led to the tip of Joel’s too-short life. Their son and brother was ridiculed, cursed at, had beer thrown on him and a brick thrown at him that sliced open the again of his head. He was unable to flee (as I wrote within the February 28, 2015 version of New Tampa Neighborhood Information once I grew to become the primary member of the media Joel allowed to inform his story) being “that child” — that whistle-blowing, attention-seeking child who received Jim Leavitt fired.
However, whether or not you knew Joel and his household in addition to I did or not, for those who’ve ever had a son of your individual and also you noticed their life spiral uncontrolled due to the actions of 1 pompous megalomaniac who assaulted your baby, how would you are feeling about that nugatory piece of rubbish being inducted into the Corridor of Fame of the varsity that paid to eliminate him?
I went to Leavitt’s USF Corridor of Fame bio on GoUSFBulls.com for his image and I couldn’t assist however discover that there was no point out of USF being sued by this “standup man” or having to pay him out hundreds of thousands in an effort to ship him on his means.
The Letter
Kathy advised me that she discovered Joel’s hand-written letter to “Jim” lower than two years after Joel handed away in 2017, on the age of 29. It’s a highly effective two-page (under) attraction to Leavitt for nothing greater than an apology — one Joel knew when he wrote it (8/12/2015) would by no means come. Pompous megalomaniacs don’t usually apologize for his or her actions, particularly once they get away with them scot-free. “Jim” went on to teach within the NFL and at 4 different school packages.
However, eight years after shedding him, Joel Miller’s household continues to be damaged. Their son and brother? Gone endlessly. All they actually need — and genuinely deserve — is to your college to rethink its determination to bestow this honor on a man who by no means took you to a significant bowl sport — and dedicated felony assault and lied about it. In any other case, please re-name it the USF “Corridor of Disgrace” — and take the late, nice Lee Roy Selmon out of it.
He deserves higher — and so do the Millers.
