University of South Florida athletic director Lee Roy Selmon has accepted an offer to join the board of the First National Bankshares of Florida in Naples.

Selmon will serve as a director on both the corporate board and its banking subsidiary, as well as sit on the bank’s compensation committee.

Selmon’s appointment comes a little more than one week after he requested a six-week sabbatical from his role at USF to deal with a private health matter, which The Tampa Tribune reported as a non-life threatening heart condition.

According to an article in Saturday’s St. Petersburg Times, First National chief executive Gary Tice said negotiations to bring Selmon aboard began nearly three months ago.

Neither Selmon, USF athletics spokesman Michael Rierson nor USF director of media relations Michael Reich could be reached for comment.

Selmon indicated it was “highly unlikely” that he would return as USF athletic director following his six-week sabbatical. However, USF president Judy Genshaft has not ruled out the possibility of Selmon’s return, and no steps to find a replacement have been taken.

Rierson and USF’s chief financial officer Carl Carlucci, as well as other members of the university athletic department, have taken on additional duties while Selmon is away. As athletic director, Selmon directly oversaw the football and men’s basketball programs.

Selmon’s role at First National will require only one day per month, and how he handles his role during his sabbatical will be left up to him, Tice told the Times.

Selmon joined the USF athletic department as an associate athletic director in 1993 and played an instrumental part in helping establish a football program at the university. He was promoted to athletic director in May 2001 and helped USF earn a bid to join the Big East in 2005.

Prior to Selmon’s involvement with USF, he worked in banking for more than 10 years. He is the former vice president of community relations for Barnett Banks and served on the same bank’s board of directors. Selmon also served as vice president at Tampa’s First Florida Bank.

Selmon earned a four-year degree in special education from the University of Oklahoma.

Houston possibly could rejoin football team

Former USF offensive lineman Shelley Houston may be able to rejoin the football team following the dismissal of multiple felony charges against him.

As is mandatory for any USF athlete with criminal charges pending, Houston was dismissed from the program following his arrest Sept. 25. Houston was arrested and charged with burglary of a conveyance, third-degree grand theft and fraudulent use of a credit card, all felonies.

Less than one month later, Houston was arrested again on three more felony counts: third-degree grand theft, dealing in stolen property and false information on a pawnbroker form.

The state attorney’s office decided not to prosecute Houston because the victim signed a waiver requesting so and did not respond to the state attorney’s phone calls or request for an interview.

USF coach Jim Leavitt has not yet reinstated Houston to the team.

“We’re looking at everything before we do anything,” Leavitt told the St. Petersburg Times.