Despite Penn State’s fast track toward a Big Ten title and College Football Playoff berth, coach James Franklin was caught under fire Wednesday when he refused to address questions regarding rape charges against two of his now-former football players, Jameial Lyons and Kaveion Keys.
The Athletic’s Audrey Snyder pressed Franklin as he walked away briefly from the podium, trying to get him to answer whether he knew when, or if both, would be off the team earlier in the summer.
Penn State released a statement Tuesday regarding the situation, which, through court filings, found that Lyons and Keys allegedly “forcefully raped” a 17-year-old Penn State student. Another unidentified victim was sexually assaulted, according to the criminal complaint.
According to Penn State on SI, the University is not commenting further on the situation. Below is its statement.
“We are aware of the serious charges against Mr. Keys and Mr. Lyons, who are no longer enrolled at the University. “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.”
Slate’s Alex Kirshner took a firm stance that the Nittany Lions’ athletic department could’ve done a better job in the aftermath of the situation, starting with Franklin himself.
“He doesn’t have to say anything (in fact, not saying so is probably wise), but it’s coward s*** to have an SID read a statement (not the head man who makes all the money) and then just walk off,” Kirshner wrote.
Penn State faces Wisconsin on Saturday in Madison. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
