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Penn State Football Coach James Franklin apologizes for the reaction at the press conference

Posted on by Pranco
Penn State Football Coach James Franklin apologizes for the reaction at the press conference

Penn State football coach James Franklin apologized Saturday for the way he handled a media presence last week in which he chose not to answer questions about two former players accused of rape.

Franklin said he “didn’t do a good job” during a post-practice media session last Wednesday, when he stepped away from the microphone twice after being asked about former players Jameial Lyons and Kaveion Keys, who were accused of multiple counts of rape and indecent assault. The players were removed from the college and football programs before the season, but Franklin had not been asked about the situation until charges were filed last week.

A Penn State spokesperson read the following statement before Franklin began his post-practice availability: “Regarding the two former Penn State football players, we issued a statement (Tuesday) saying our program and athletic department will have no further comment give.” When he was asked the first question, Franklin passed on to the team spokespersonwho read the statement again. When asked a second question about the timeline of the players’ removal from the team, Franklin walked away from media availability at Penn State’s Holuba Hall. He returned to answer questions about the Wisconsin game for about three more minutes, and the session ended.

“The first thing I want to say is I want to apologize. I didn’t do the right thing on Wednesday,” Franklin said after the Nittany Lions game. 28-13 win over Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium. “Difficult, difficult situation, and I have to admit that I didn’t do it well. I understand you have a job to do. You have to ask those questions, and I respect that. The university had made a statement, and the reality is I don’t think I can say much more than that statement. It is an ongoing legal situation and a challenge. It’s a challenge for everyone.”

Franklin’s response to media availability briefly became a national story, with ESPN running the headline: “James Franklin declines comment on rape allegations against ex-Penn State football players.”

“Ultimately, I didn’t handle that situation properly or present this program properly, so I just wanted to take a moment to apologize for that,” Franklin said Saturday evening in Madison. “I understand you guys have a job to do, so I didn’t do a good job there. I’m just trying to get better in a tough situation like anyone else. And I think that’s a big reason for all of this.” It’s a difficult situation and a challenging situation, so I apologize.”

Lyons, 19, of Philadelphia, was charged with one felony count of rape, two felony counts of aggravated indecent assault without consent and one misdemeanor count of consensual deviate sexual intercourse. Lyons was also charged with felonies of indecent assault without consent and invasion of privacy. Keys, 19, of Richmond, Virginia, was charged with one count of rape, one count of aggravated indecent assault without consent and one count of sexual assault, all felonies. He was also charged with one felony count of indecent assault without consent.

According to the statement of probable causea 17-year-old female Penn State student told police that Lyons and Keys “forcibly raped” her during an alleged incident on July 7. A second victim alleged that Lyons sexually assaulted her that same evening at an apartment on campus.

Penn State said in a July 31 statement that both players had been placed on “interim suspension.” Then the football program issued a statement before preseason media day on August 3 that Lyons and Keys were no longer enrolled in college or on the football team.

“We are aware of the serious charges against Mr. Keys and Mr. Lyons, who are no longer enrolled at the university,” Penn State said in a statement on Oct. 22. “The safety of our community is our top priority, and Penn State takes any report of sexual assault or misconduct very seriously and investigates all reports.”

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Penn State on SI is the home for Penn State news, opinions and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than two decades, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.