TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online
USF Football:
USF Basketball:
- Men’s Roster
- Women’s Roster
- Men’s Schedule/Results
- Women’s Schedule/Results
- Men’s Statistics
- Big East Standings
- Live Scoreboard
USF Baseball:
Most Recent Entries
- Robinson product Gibson advances to NCAA track finals
- Panini previews Gold Standard autographs
- UD unveils Military Machines inserts for 2012 Goodwin Champions set
- Rays @ BoSox: Guyer out for the season, Jennings close to returning and lineups
- USF softball: It’s game day
- Weekly Tampa Bay fishing report
- Rays at BoSox: Rivalry renewed
- Karen Cooley returns as Zephyrhills girls swimming coach
- USF beats Pitt, stays alive
- The Nerds head north
- Jeffrey Shank out as Gulf boys basketball coach
- Berkeley Prep captures Academic Team Champion Award - again
- This week’s signings and offers
- Berkeley Prep wins FHSAA Academic Award standings
- Shank out as Gulf boys hoops coach
More
- Bucs Report -Tribune staff
- Rays Report - Roger Mooney
- Bolts Report - Erik Erlendsson
- Bulls Report
- Prep Report - Hillsborough
- Prep Report - Pasco
- Prep Report - Region
- Prep Report - Recruiting Updates
- Prep Report - Football
- Go Fishing: On The Waterfront
- The Sports Bookie - Bob D'Angelo
- Gators Report - Tribune staff
- Youth Sports Report
- NFL Draft Report
- Go Ask: Frank's Tacklebox
- Bucified Bert Blog
- BUK Power - Bucs Fan Blog
- Pigskin Preacher - NFL Fan Blog
- Breakfast Bonus - Tom McEwen
- Highlands Sports
Monthly Archives
Joel Miller Gets Lawyered Up
Posted Jan 10, 2010 by Scott Carter
Updated Jan 10, 2010 at 08:15 PM
Joel Miller, the player at the center of the incident that led to USF coach Jim Leavitt’s dismissal on Friday, is now being represented by prominent Tampa attorney Barry Cohen.
This case has already been ugly and confusing from the beginning, so now that lawyers are starting to get involved, who knows where this will all lead.
Regardless of the outcome, is it safe to say that Joel Miller is now the most famous walk-on in USF football history?
Here is the story running in Monday’s edition of The Tampa Tribune:
By JOSÉ PATIÑO GIRONA | The Tampa Tribune
A day after the firing of University of South Florida football coach Jim Leavitt, the family of sophomore walk-on Joel Miller retained prominent Tampa attorney Barry Cohen to represent them.
“A lot of information is going around and we just decided to get an attorney,” said Joel’s dad, Paul Miller.
Cohen wouldn’t discuss the possibility of a civil lawsuit against the university or its former football coach. He said he met with the family for several hours on Saturday.
“I’m going to go where the evidence takes me,” Cohen said today. “The boy is a great kid. He’s very upset over the situation.”
The university fired Leavitt on Friday. He had been the program’s only head coach. An independent investigator found that Leavitt grabbed Miller by the throat and slapped him during halftime of the Nov. 21 game against Louisville.
Cohen said Joel Miller never intended for things to go awry and he feels bad for Leavitt, the teammates and assistant coaches.
“He didn’t do anything wrong,” Cohen said. “He was a victim of this thing. He tried to protect his coach. He was disappointed the coach didn’t tell the truth.”
He wasn’t trying to get him fired,” Cohen said. “He was trying to protect him.”
But Cohen said the blame lies on Leavitt for not coming forward.
“He (Joel Miller) wasn’t in favor of this going this far,” Cohen said. “The coach was responsible for it going this far. He should have admitted what he did.”
USF spokesman Michael Hoad thought it was a good thing for Miller to have someone to give him advice.
“I don’t see any problem with him getting somebody to give him counsel,” Hoad said.
Post a comment
Members:(Requires free registration.)
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online ©2010 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. A Media General company. Member Agreement | Privacy Statement | Work With Us
Reader Comments
Por (Dan Alatorre) on January 10, 2010 (Suggest removal)
You know what? If I got a millionaire fired from his job, I’d get an attorney, too.
Suggest removalPor (Dan Alatorre) on January 10, 2010 (Suggest removal)
Here we go, USF fans. The lawsuits, the state checks. ESPN doesn’t cover this part of when animals attack, do they?
Leavitt sues USF, USF settles eventually, but only after muddying up the search for the new coach, and ruining the recruiting season. Predictable.
Miller sues Leavitt and/or USF. The USF coach hit Miller, which is Leavitt + USF; or not which is USF only. The reason? Heck, I ain’t an attorney. Emotional distress, as evidenced in their report of his second interrogation, I mean interview, where he was agitated?
Suggest removalMadame President, I hope you haven’t gotten too attached to USF.
Por (Dan Alatorre) on January 10, 2010 (Suggest removal)
The good news is, in my opinion Cohen’s a scumbag good at getting headlines but not much else for his clients.
“a principled kid” He didn’t deserve what happened, but he is far from innocent. He lied to all his friends or to ESPN and the investigators. That’s a far cry from innocent. He’s over 18, so he’s no kid, Barry. He’s an adult. Oops.
The best defense is a good offense, right? Sue them before they sue you, eh Barry?
Suggest removalPor (Dan Alatorre) on January 10, 2010 (Suggest removal)
“(Miller) didn’t try to hurt the coach. He went the other way, and tried to protect him,” Cohen said.
Oops!
Sounds like your client got an attorney because he LIED to somebody, Barry!
To his friends and high school coach or to ESPN and the investigators… somebody.
My guess is, he lied to the USF investigators… that could be a problem! The same miscreants who found Leavitt’s story uncorroborrated ALSO found Millers to be uncorroborrated.
Oops!
THAT might cost ya, Joel!
Suggest removalPor (Dan Alatorre) on January 10, 2010 (Suggest removal)
How much is a hostile environment lawsuit worth? miller gets that from USF and Leavitt when they sue. Leavitt or USF countersues, because Miller lied to investigators.
Both win. And both lose.
Only, USF loses more, I think.
Much more.
Suggest removalPor (Dan Alatorre) on January 10, 2010 (Suggest removal)
“He didn’t do anything wrong”
Barry, he LIED!
I can understand how a lawyer wouldn’t think that LYING is doing anything wrong…
What’s your track record suing USF, Barry? Still no wins?
Suggest removalPor (joecole) on January 11, 2010 (Suggest removal)
here’s the bottom line. joel miller is sub-par. no one wanted him. he walked on…and sucked. leavitt does the motivational thing. the black players pull the race card (per usual), and CJL is gone. miller needs an attorney to protect him because he will go down in history as the puss who made a stink, opened a can of worms, and it resulted in our school losing a good coach. miller’s lucky someone on campus doesn’t kick his ##### like he needs. he opened his mouth like girls do, and then stuck his high heels it in. joel…go be a sundoll, and leave football for the guys. look what you’ve done.
Suggest removalPor (Allen) on January 11, 2010 (Suggest removal)
joel miller is white…huh?
Saying it’s usual for black players to use the race card is racist.
Suggest removalPor (Dan Alatorre) on January 11, 2010 (Suggest removal)
I think it was a lot of the black players sticking up for the coach, weren’t they?
Anyway, Miller needs an attorney because he lied to the investigators, and that’s a charge that probably gets you thrown out of school.
Just like Leavitt, it is a serious violation when you lie to investigators. There needs to be a serious consequence.
Suggest removalPor (randygolfs) on January 11, 2010 (Suggest removal)
What a total surprise! Barry Cohen has crawled out from under his rock to make sure his name is in the headlines again. Don’t you just love these lawyers whose only interest is self-promotion and making sure that their pockets are getting lined with ill-gotten money! “for the people”........yeah right.
Suggest removalPor (joecole) on January 11, 2010 (Suggest removal)
@ allen. yeah, ok. we’ll go with that. whats your point?
Suggest removalPor (Don G) on January 16, 2010 (Suggest removal)
Miller, at age 18 is basically still a kid. 21 yrs of age is the recognized age for a full-fledged adult. Miller gets roughed up by his coach - who lacks emotionally maturity for a 50 year old head coach. Miller is confused and probably very embarrassed, but Miller tried to lie for his coach. It was Leavitt that should apologize to Miller and the entire team. Had he done that, Leavitt’s still head coach. In my opinion, Leavitt is a pathetic excuse for a leader of young men. Give the 18 year old a break. After investigation, it was clear that Leavitt did much more than either of the two head coaches that were just fired. Glad Leavitt is gone. Holtz looks like a winner!
Suggest removal