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Penn State RB Journey Brown No Longer Able to Play Football

By Alec Whitaker

STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 30: Journey Brown #4 of the Penn State Nittany Lions carries the ball as Christian Izien #12 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights defends in the first half at Beaver Stadium on November 30, 2019 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 30: Journey Brown #4 of the Penn State Nittany Lions carries the ball as Christian Izien #12 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights defends in the first half at Beaver Stadium on November 30, 2019 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Penn State’s brutal 2020 season continued Wednesday night, when coach James Franklin announced that running back Journey Brown’s football career was over.

In a post-practice statement, Penn State head coach James Franklin said that Brown will no longer be able to play football, not only this season, but for his career.

Brown had not played yet in 2020 because of an undisclosed condition, it would appear that condition is more serious after further evaluation.  Franklin noted that Covid-19 screening found the condition, but that the condition was not related to the virus.

Specifics to the condition have not be released.

Brown released the following statement on Twitter after Franklin’s announcement.

https://twitter.com/JourneyBrown6/status/1326674980319490052?s=20

Brown was Penn State’s leading rusher in 2019 with 890 rushing yards. His abscence, along with Noah Cain’s injury, has led to a struggling Penn State run game, which was has played a large role in the team’s 0-3 start. Devyn Ford has assumed the starter role, but with Penn State falling behind early in all three games, there hasn’t been many opportunities for the running backs. The group has combined for just 237 yards on 61 carries this year.

Penn State is down to three scholarship running backs for the remainder of the season, two of them are true freshmen.

Brown’s 2019 breakout season led to hype about him being a possible Heisman candidate in 2020, along with a draft projection as high as the second round in the 2021 draft.

Brown was a feel-good story, becuase he was not a highly ranked recruit, and Penn State did not offer him until late in his recruitment. Brown was on pace to be the third Penn State running back from Pennsylvania to be drafted in four years, following Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders.

He is the third player on Penn State’s roster forced to retire due to a medical condition. Nana Asiedu and Jordan Miner were both forced to end their careers before the 2018 season.

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