A Penn State Trustee Says Fellow Board Members Are 'Undermining' Athletics

Brandon Short says some fellow trustees discouraged donors and snubbed James Franklin. Trustee Jay Paterno calls it a 'complete non-story.'

In February, Penn State football coach James Franklin attended a Board of Trustees meeting with four players and the Rose Bowl trophy. He joined the board for lunch, spoke with trustees during executive session and invited them to visit the Lasch Football Building to meet his team.

"I think I speak on behalf of the entire board and Nittany Nation when I say we are incredibly proud that you lead our program," board chair Matt Schuyler said at the meeting.

However, one trustee said not every interaction was so cordial. Brandon Short, an alumni-elected trustee and former All-American linebacker, said at least one fellow trustee avoided Franklin at the meeting and "refused" to shake the coach's hand. At one point, according to Short, Franklin tapped a trustee on the shoulder and extended a hand. Short said that Franklin's gesture was ignored.

During the board's public session later, Short voiced frustration with that moment and more, describing what he called a "whisper" campaign conducted by a small group of alumni-elected trustees to undermine the athletic department. Short said some trustees were "disparaging our administrators and questioning the character of our coaches and even our student-athletes." 

In a recent interview, Short explained why he made those comments then and why he's continuing to speak out now.

"It's a level of disrespect that has to be addressed in order for us to be successful," Short said. "I’m a firm believer in Penn State. I’m a believer that we can do anything when we’re all rowing in one direction. My goal is to unite Penn State, but we can’t be united with people who treat our coaches and administrators with such contempt."

Meanwhile, fellow alumni trustee Jay Paterno said that the incident Short described involving Franklin did not happen.

Paterno could not speak for other trustees but said that, after having lunch with a Penn State player, he entered the meeting's public session, tapped Franklin on the shoulder and asked whether the coach had everything he needed regarding NIL. Franklin said yes, according to Paterno. He called their encounter brief and cordial.

"Nobody was walking around snubbing handshakes," Paterno said. "It's a complete non-story. It's kind of juvenile we're talking about this during a board election."

A Board Election Shaped by Penn State Sports

Penn State's Board of Trustees entered this year's election facing a host of pressing issues: planned hiring freezes and potential job cuts, a $140 million budget deficit and what the university calls a state funding gap. Short and Paterno agreed that athletics represent a fraction of what the board is tasked to address at a university with more than 88,000 students and an $8.6 billion operating budget.

Yet during this period to elect three alumni trustees, sports — particularly football and men's basketball — have entered the campaign. Short, re-elected to his second term in 2021, has conducted several media interviews to discuss what he called the board's "internal conflict around athletics." 

In an interview with AllPennState, Short said that a small group of alumni-elected trustees, whom he would not name, have launched a "counteroffensive to undermine athletics" that included voting against projects and discouraging donors from giving money to athletics and the university. He also said those trustees have refused to meet with Franklin during their terms.

"I struggled to speak out, but I understand now that if we don’t bring these issues to light, they’re going to continue," Short said.

Paterno, a two-term trustee running for re-election among eight alumni candidates, said some are trying to distill the election to the single issue of football, which he called "unfortunate." Asked what he thought was being undermined within athletics, Paterno said, "I have no idea. I really don't."

"If that's the only thing you're voting on, you're missing the whole point of what this election is about and what Penn State is about as a university," Paterno said. "Right now, the only thing undermining athletics is a stream of negative news cycles trying to create a faction where a faction doesn’t exist."

Has NIL Become a Trustee Issue at Penn State?

Sports run deep at Penn State and have emerged to help shape this election. Short and fellow All-American linebacker Michael Mauti have endorsed three candidates for alumni trustee, including Ali Krieger, an All-American soccer player at Penn State and two-time U.S. World Cup champion.

Recently, a photo appeared on social media of former Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley wearing a button with the names of three alumni-trustee candidates, including Paterno. McSorley released a statement on Twitter saying he did not authorize the photo's use as an endorsement and that he would not endorse any candidates.

Further, Short and Paterno have spoken on the record, covering a range of topics from athletics funding to NIL to the February board meeting. Penn State's seven other alumni-elected trustees did not respond to requests for comment, while Schuyler released a statement.

"The board has a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the University and, while there are differing opinions among trustees about how to best advance Penn State, the board is supportive of the entire university enterprise, including Intercollegiate Athletics and Penn State student-athletes. Opinions expressed by a single board member are just that and are not reflective of the board or other individual trustees."

Voting in Penn State's alumni-trustee election is open until May 4. With that, here are Short and Paterno on the record.

Brandon Short: 'I Felt Like I Was at a Wit's End...'

"I love Penn State," Short said in an interview. "Joe Paterno and the Penn State community saved my life. They made me the man I am today, which is why everything that I do, I try to think about what’s in the best interests of the university. But for years there’s been an internal conflict around athletics that I haven’t spoken out about because I didn’t think that it was in the university’s best interests. Now, with the challenges that we’ve been facing for years, I feel like if I don’t speak up, I’m not doing my duty as a trustee or as an alum.

"For years, that small group of alumni-elected trustees has been working to undermine the athletic department, openly voting against necessary spending and then undermining or pushing back on any initiatives that would move the athletic department forward.

"... For years, since basically the group joined the board, they’ve been launching a counteroffensive to undermine athletics, encouraging donors not to give to the university and, whenever we bring important initiatives forward, the administration needs to plan how the trustees are going to respond and move forward with necessary improvements in the face of their opposition. It’s been consistent and it’s been for years."

Penn State Trustee, and former All-American linebacker, Brandon Short / Photo via Zoom

Short referenced the 2021 board vote to approve $48.3 million in upgrades to the Lasch Football Building as an example. The measure passed 27-6. Of the six trustees who voted against the project, three (Paterno, Anthony Lubrano and Alice Pope) are running for re-election this year.

During the February board meeting, Short said that if the Lasch renovations had been delayed, their costs could have doubled due to inflation and rising interest rates. Penn State completed the project during the 2022 football season.

"They [the small group of alumni-elected trustees] are openly opposing our athletic department at every turn," Short said. "About spending, about necessary change, about all these issues that I can't speak specifically about because they were in executive session, and I do owe that duty to the university. But I can say that it’s consistent since they have been on the board."

Regarding the February board meeting with Franklin, Short said the moment represented an example of his larger concerns. He said that he has tried to arrange a meeting between one alumni trustee and Franklin for eight years. It hasn't taken place yet.

"One of the reasons I felt it necessary to speak out was because we’ve tried talking about these things for years and we’ve tried to take measures, and the behaviors have gotten worse," Short said. "Not shaking our coach’s hand is a level of disrespect that needs to be addressed. We can’t accept it as a Penn State community.

"What motivated me was everything leading up to that board meeting and all the experiences that I had with these individuals. Their behavior hadn’t changed. I felt like I was at a wit’s end and didn’t know where else to go but to the Penn State community and to let the people decide."

Short said that Penn State's board otherwise is aligned behind Schuyler, President Neeli Bendapudi and Athletic Director Patrick Kraft.

"These are minority voices," Short said. "We shouldn’t have to deal with specific trustees working to undermine the university. Reasonable people can disagree on spending, but this isn’t a disagreement about spending when people refuse to meet with the head coach.

"The Lasch vote is the equivalent of us being on the board of General Motors and our CEO wanting to build a factory. So the CEO says, 'Let’s have a meeting to discuss the factory,' and the board members say, 'No, we’re not going to have that meeting,' and they vote against building that factory. That’s borderline breach of duty."

Jay Paterno: 'Trustees Have to Be Watchdogs, Not Lapdogs'

In a separate interview, Paterno addressed some of the issues Short raised, expanding on them in a post on his website. He called the situation a "coordinated effort among a few people on social media to question my commitment to Penn State."

Paterno, a former Penn State football player and assistant coach, disagreed with Short's perspective on the February board meeting. "There was no snubbing," he said. Paterno mentioned an interaction with Franklin during basketball season as an separate example.

"My mom [Sue] and I attended a basketball game and we sat next to [Franklin] and his daughter the whole game," Paterno said. "We had a really nice time. I don't know where all this is coming from."

Penn State Trustee, and former assistant football coach, Jay Paterno :: Andrew Weber/USA Today Sports

As for meeting with Franklin, Paterno said that he attempts to maintain a professional relationship with the coach as co-creator of "Nittany Game Week," a television show on which he discusses Penn State football. He said that acting as a trustee and appearing on the show "complicates" his ability to maintain a relationship with Franklin.

"The relationship I have with [Franklin] is strictly professional," Paterno said. "He has enough to do without us [trustees] getting into it, and he's done a great job. What else do you want me to say?"

Regarding his 2021 vote against the Lasch upgrades, Paterno said he did so for several reasons. He called the vote consistent with others against borrowing for the Palmer Art Museum and a shelved $14 million renovation to the Beaver Stadium president's suite that included a private elevator.

"Part of my [Lasch renovation] vote was, at the time, I asked the administration what the [Beaver Stadium] maintenance backlog was. The administration didn't know," Paterno said. "We also asked about doing stadium renovations before these [Lasch renovations] to create revenue to pay for a lot of facilities needs. We asked the fiscal questions, and they gave us no answers.

"We also were just coming out of COVID and didn't know what the fan situation was going to be [for the 2021 football season]. Some trustees just asked questions about where the money is coming from."

On his website, Paterno wrote that Penn State "would have been better off" borrowing the money to renovate Beaver Stadium two years ago when interest rates were lower. He also wrote that "complaints about football financial support" are unfair to Kraft and former Penn State Athletic Director Sandy Barbour.

"To be fair to Sandy Barbour and Patrick Kraft, they've been very judicious in funding football," Paterno said. "That's their choice, not mine or anyone else's on the Board of Trustees."

On Short's statement that some alumni trustees have discouraged donors, Paterno said it was "absolutely false."

"Last October, at my suggestion, my mom hosted donors the night before the Ohio State game. She did all the cooking and cleaning, and nobody sent the university a bill at the end of the night," Paterno said. "Some of [the attendees] were athletic department donors potentially giving eight figures who were introduced to Patrick Kraft and Neeli Bendapudi to re-engage with the university and to benefit athletics and the university. The idea that we’re trying to undermine donors is absolutely false. It’s completely counter to the truth."

Of the board itself, Paterno said it's the "most cohesive, collaborative board we've had in my six years," including about athletics.

"In terms of football, we're top 5 [nationally] in total budget, top 5 in salaries and top 5 in recruiting budget," he said. "And that's not something [the trustees] get into. We have no control of that [football] budget, nor should we.

"We have a fiduciary responsibility to the entire university and to all the students. Trustees have to be watchdogs, not lapdogs."

Up Next

In Part II of this story, Short and Paterno discuss Penn State's NIL situation, in which Short says he's concerned that what happened with former men's basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry might happen with Franklin.

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