James Franklin offers an apology to the media after win over Wisconsin

James Franklin’s week leading up to his Nittany Lion’s trip up to Madison Wisconsin was filled with more than just preparation for the Badgers. Franklin came under fire from the media after he dodged questions about two former Penn State football players who are facing felony rape charges. Then, after beating the Badgers, the 11th-year head coach of the Nittany Lions was willing to admit his mistake in the handling of the situation. 

Franklin was right not to comment about an ongoing investigation surrounding two players that he swiftly dismissed from his roster this offseason, however, as he acknowledged postgame, there were much better ways to address the media than stepping away from the microphone to allow a university spokesperson to read the school’s prepared statement. His behavior when facing those questions only amplified the story, did a disservice to all involved, and distracted from his team's preparation for a red-hot Wisconsin team that jumped out to a 10-7 lead in the first half. 

At Wednesday’s media availability, Franklin was clearly frustrated with the media, as was much of the Penn State fanbase once the video surfaced, but those are questions that have to be asked, even if a statement has already been released. That’s journalism 101 and PR 101 for Franklin would have been to say exactly what he did after his team’s 28-13 win over Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday night. 

Now, as long as no other controversies crop up in the next five days, Franklin can focus solely on the task at hand, beating the Ohio State Buckeyes, something he’s only done once in 10 years in Happy Valley, so every second of preparation is precious.