Notes, nuggets from Courtroom No. 500

Posted Jun 9, 2010 by Scott Carter

Updated Jun 9, 2010 at 04:00 PM

The latest legal maneuvering in the Jim Leavitt vs. USF lawsuit took place this morning at the Hillsborough County Courthouse complex.

You can click here to read a straight news story from the proceedings.

Here are a few other notes from the happenings inside Courtroom No. 500:

+++ USF was well-represented with athletic director Doug Woolard and President Judy Genshaft in attendance. Woolard joined USF attorney Richard McCrea and general counsel Steve Prevaux at a table on the courtroom floor.

Neither Woolard nor Genshaft spoke during the 90-minute proceeding.

+++ About a half-hour into the 90-minute hearing, USF football players Sabbath Joseph, Kayvon Webster, Demetris Murray and Dontavia Bogan arrived.

Sabbath said he received a letter in the mail notifying him of the hearing, at first thinking it was a subpoena for him to appear. Instead, the players listened quietly and then caught up with their former coach when Leavitt left the courtroom.

+++Leavitt became emotional when asked what it was like seeing his former players. He had not seen the underclassmen since he cleaned out his office following his firing Jan. 8.

+++During the hearing, Prevaux revealed to McCrea that he also has some personal notes related to USF’s investigation that led to Leavitt’s firing that could be subject to Florin’s public-records requests.

“I’m most intrigued that the General Counsel had notes and they didn’t want to give them up,’’ Florin said.

+++USF mailed out 48 letters to people who were mentioned in the investigation. The university mailed the letters to inform the people that their names and statements to investigators could become public knowledge should items be made public record and information failed to be redacted properly.

+++In USF’s final report of the investigation, the school reported 29 people interviewed. However, the school mailed letters to 48 people mentioned in the investigation.

+++As for Leavitt, he remained calm the entire hearing and remains hopeful of getting another chance to coach. He is traveling to Baltimore next weekend for another Under-Armour Camp.

He has already attended several Under-Armour camps this summer and generally holds a speaking clinic for high school coaches the night before the camp starts, and then provides instruction to players on weekends.