Penn State's James Franklin Apologizes for Press Conference Reaction

The Nittany Lions coach said he "did not do a good job" last week when asked about two former players who were charged with rape.

Penn State coach James Franklin speaks to the media during the post-game press conference following the Nittany Lions' win over Wisconsin. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Penn State football coach James Franklin apologized Saturday for the way he handled a media availability last week, during which he chose not to answer questions about two former players being charged with rape.

Franklin said that he "did not do a good job" during a post-practice media session last Wednesday, when he stepped away from a microphone twice after being asked about former players Jameial Lyons and Kaveion Keys, who were charged with multiple counts of rape and indecent assault. The players were removed from the university and football program before the season, but Franklin had not been asked about the situation until charges were filed last week.

A Penn State spokesman read the following statement before Franklin's began his post-practice availability: "Regarding the two former Penn State football players, we released a statement [Tuesday] that our program and athetic department will have no further comment." When asked the first question, Franklin deferred to the team spokesman, who read the statement once more. When asked a second question regarding the timeline of the players' removal from the team, Franklin walked away from the 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.

"First thing I want to say is, I want to apologize. I didn't do a great job of handling Wednesday," Franklin said after the Nittany Lions' 28-13 win over Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium. "Difficult, difficult situation, and I've got to own that I did not do a good job of that. I understand that you guys got a job to do. You've got to ask those questions, and I respect that. The university had put out a statement, and the reality is, I think there's not a whole lot more I can say other than that statement. It's an ongoing legal situation, and it's challenging. It's challenging on everybody."

James Franklin ends his postgame press conference by apologizing for his behavior during Wednesday’s press conference at Penn State: pic.twitter.com/ntgW7dOqMe

— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) October 27, 2024

Franklin's reaction at the media availability briefly became a national story, with ESPN covering it under the headline, "James Franklin refuses comment on rape charges against ex-Penn State football players."

"At the end of the day, I did not do a good job of handling that situation and representing this program the right way, so I wanted to take a minute and apologize for that," Franklin said Saturday night in Madison. "I understand that you guys got a job to do, so I didn't do a good job there. I'm trying to get better like everybody else in a difficult situation. And I think that is 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 assualt without consent and one felony count of voluntary deviate sexual intercourse. Lyons also was charged with misdemeanor counts 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 also was charged with one misdemeanor count of indecent assault without consent.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, a 17-year-old female Penn State student told police that Lyons and Keys "forcefully raped" her during an alleged incident July 7. A second victim alleged that Lyons sexually assaulted her on the same evening in an on-campus apartment.

Penn State said in a July 31 statement that both players were placed on "interim suspension." The football program then issued a statement before its preseason media day Aug. 3 that Lyons and Keys no longer were enrolled in the university or part of 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 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 any and all reports."

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