Subscribe
Follow Us
Some drama unfolded at a recent Penn State football press conference as head coach James Franklin refused to comment on a situation involving two former Nittany Lions players that are facing rape allegations. A university spokesperson told the media that there was a statement released and that there would be no further comments. When Franklin was asked about it, he didn't say a word and walked away. The spokesperson then told the crowd to once again not ask any questions about it.
The former Penn State football players facing these allegations are Kaveion Keys and Jameial Lyons. The two players are no longer members of the team and they no longer Penn State. The school did release a statement on the matter:
“We are aware of the serious charges against Mr. Keys and Mr. Lyons, who are no longer enrolled at the University,” The statement said. “The safety of our community is our top priority, and Penn State takes any report of sexual assault or misconduct very seriously and investigates any and all reports.”
James Franklin is now facing a lot of backlash for this as there are numerous videos showing how he handled the situation. Multiple people tried to ask questions about it, and each time, Franklin walked behind the background screen and let a spokesperson handle it. Many people believe that this is not how the head coach of a football program should be behaving.
“Face of the football program,” Prominent football reporter Ian Rapoport said in a post. “Most recognizable person associated with Penn St. Demands athletes be held accountable. Paid millions, some of it taxpayer money. Yet refuses to stand up and deliver a statement or face important questions from reporters doing their jobs.”
Ian Rapoport isn't the only person in the football world that has taken to social media to criticize James Franklin and the way that he is handling this situation. A lot of people are unhappy with Franklin.
Franklin did end up taking questions on the podium that day as the media was asked if they had questions about Penn State's upcoming game against Wisconsin. Multiple reporters said they did, and Franklin returned to the podium to answer them.
Penn State will square off with the Badgers on Saturday night in Madison in what is expected to be a close game. Franklin and the Nittany Lions are currently 6-0 and ranked #3 in the country.
