MADISON, Wis. – Penn State football coach James Franklin said Saturday night that he fell short with his response to questions several days ago about two former players who had been charged with rape.
Franklin stepped away from a microphone twice without speaking Wednesday night after two reporters asked him questions the day after Jameial Lyons and Kaveion Keys were charged with rape and sexual assault for an on-campus incident on July 7.
He offered unsolicited remarks at the end of his press conference following the Nittany Lions’ 28-13 win over Wisconsin.
“I didn’t do a great job of handling Wednesday,” he said. “Difficult, difficult situation and I gotta own that I did not do a good job of that.
“I did not do a good job of representing this program the right way.”
Penn State and perhaps the football program took swift action in the summer. Within 23 days, Lyons and Keys were no longer enrolled at the university.
Penn State released a statement this week and a team spokesman read it immediately before Wednesday’s press conference, saying the university would have no further comment.
Franklin’s response Wednesday night was the top headline on ESPN.com, and the video of him walking away from the microphone went viral. It was commented on during NBC’s game broadcast Saturday night.
Franklin said Saturday night that he did not blame the reporters who asked the questions at Wednesday’s post-practice press conference.
“I respect that,” he said. “The reality is 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 for everybody.
“I didn’t do a good job there. I’m trying to get better like everybody else in a difficult situation. I apologize.”
