Judge who blasted Charlie Strong removes herself from USF player's case

A video of Judge Margaret Taylor scolding a USF player in court went viral this week

The judge who scolded South Florida defensive end Ladarius Jackson and questioned Charlie Strong's ability to control his team in her courtroom earlier this week has recused herself from the case.

Judge Margaret Taylor, who attended USF as an undergrad, told Jackson she was "embarrassed and ashamed" of being an alum and that his alleged actions were "reprehensible." Jackson then went after Strong, who is yet to coach a single game at USF.

"And, I have a message for your coach, as well. Coach Strong, if you are listening, in the last couple of months there have been two arrests of your players for very violent felonies," Taylor said. "This court, and I'm sure I'm not alone, questions whether you have control over your players. It's fairly clear you do not have control of them off the field, and I guess only time will tell whether you have control over them on the field.

"I would implore you to think long and hard about whether being head coach at USF is a good fit for you before any other members of this community have to suffer at the hands of one of your players."

Taylor was also referencing an earlier case in which USF defensive back Hassan Childs allegedly pulled a gun during a road rage incident that led to him being shot three times. Following that incident, Childs was dismissed from the team by Strong.

Video of the court hearing went viral, and Strong himself issued a statement defending himself and his program on Wednesday.

"In the short time I have been here our program has been built on character, discipline and family," said Strong. "We have wonderful young men in the USF football program who choose to do the right thing every day. We are dedicated to recruiting young men of high character, and to consistently developing them with structure and frequent education regarding appropriate conduct and behavior, on and off the playing field.

"While I am shocked and saddened at the recent arrest of a member of our team, I am disappointed that the actions of two players over the last two months have harmed the reputation of our program, of our wonderful university and of my character. We have high expectations of our coaches, staff and student-athletes and we hold accountable those who act contrary to our values."

Taylor issued an order on Thursday voluntarily disqualifying herself from the case due to the possibility Jackson wouldn't get a fair hearing due to "prejudice or bias of the judge." She declined to comment on her decision to the Tampa Bay Times.

USF has removed Jackson from team activities.