Penn State football coach James Franklin enflamed controversy surrounding the program Wednesday by walking away from reporters when asked about rape allegations against two former players.
‘Again, just great work by all involved at Penn State to turn a story nobody would have noticed into a national commentary on James Franklin’s inability to handle a simple job responsibility like a grown up,’ USA Today columnist Dan Wolken wrote sarcastically on X.
The program was already under the microscope as 19-year-old ex-Nittany Lions players Kaveion Allen Keys and Jameial James Lyons were charged this week with raping a 17-year-old Penn State student at their campus apartment over the summer. Another student claims she awoke to being sexually assaulted by Lyons, according to the criminal complaint obtained by The Associated Press.
Media were told by staff not to ask Franklin about the defendants, who are free on bond. But when reporters ignored that direction and questioned his handling of the situation, the Coach simply walked away from the podium and behind a backdrop.
In Franklin’s place, communications staff stood forward to repeat that the ‘athletics department will have no further comment.’ Franklin then returned to the podium only to retreat once more when asked again about his handling of the situation.
Both players were mysteriously suspended over the summer to deal with what the school described as a ‘personal matter.’ They were ultimately removed from the roster in August and Franklin has since declined to discuss their statuses.
But it wasn’t Keys or Lyons who became the focus of the mushrooming controversy coming out of State College. Instead, Franklin has been slammed by media and fans for fleeing from reporters.
‘All James Franklin had to do was say no comment or we can’t address this due to pending legal matters,’ Newsday’s Evan Barnes wrote on X. ‘Instead, he looks like a coward & a fool. A pro coach would be ridiculed acting like this and so should he. Good on folks doing their job pressing him.’
‘Watching the James Franklin statement-reading fiasco live on the 6pm SportsCenter right now,’ Slate’s Alex Kirshner wrote on X. ‘Just an amazing own goal by Franklin and Penn State’s admin and PR teams. Nobody would be talking about this if JF personally read a statement and didn’t literally hide behind a backdrop.’
Many online made a quick connection between Franklin’s handling of this situation and Penn State’s response to the infamous child sex abuse scandal involving former Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.
Others referenced Franklin’s history with his previous job at Vanderbilt, where several of his players had been accused of rape. Franklin denied allegations that he encouraged a player to delete graphic footage of the rape, adding that he had never seen the footage personally despite giving some players the impression that he had.
‘James Franklin was the head coach at Vanderbilt when three of his players were sent to prison for a gang rape,’ Indy Star reporter Nate Atkins wrote on X. ‘Penn State hired him to lead them out of the darkness following Jerry Sandusky’s conviction.
‘This is… not the look they should be projecting with this situation,’ he added.
‘How can James Franklin and Penn State be so bad at this after the whole Sandusky mess they should be well-versed in crisis management?’ one fan asked online. ‘Yet here we are and they actually look worse than they did during Sandusky. Incredible.’
Much of the criticism against Franklin centered on his salary, which will be at least $7.5 million for the ongoing season.
‘Face of the football program,’ NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on X. ‘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.’
Keys and Lyons were arraigned Wednesday and released on $400,000 and $500,000 bail, respectively. Neither were required to post bail unless they violate terms of their release.
They are scheduled to be back in court on Wednesday.
Keys has denied knowing ‘Victim 1,’ according to the complaint, and has insisted he did not engage in any sexual contact on the night in question.
Lyons admitted having sex with Victim 1, but insists it was consensual. However, he said he thought Victim 1 would “likely report the situation to the police,” the complaint read.
Both former players’ cellphones were handed over to police, who discovered a shot video showing ‘indecent contact’ with Victim 1.
That footage was found on Keys’ phone, which Lyons admitted to having. However, he denied recording the footage.
Keys has been charged with first-degree forcible rape, second-degree sexual assault, second-degree aggravated assault without consent and second-degree indecent assault without consent.
Lyons, meanwhile, is facing the same charges, as well as second-degree felony voluntary deviate sexual intercourse and second-degree invasion of privacy.