When you’re the head coach of a compelling football program like Penn State, it’s typically wise to be circumspect with any words you use openly.
James Franklin knows the weight of his words, and he’s generally prudent in his messaging.
Franklin rarely lets the public into his emotions, but the Nittany Lions coach broke his typical tenets of temperance within the initial five seconds of his first media availability since the Big Ten fall season was postponed last week.
“The announcement to postpone football was extremely disappointing,” Franklin said Wednesday via Zoom. “Witnessing the confusion on our guys’ faces when I shared the news of the postponement last week was gut-wrenching. It is my responsibility to help our guys chase their dreams, and delivering this news felt like I was doing the opposite. It felt like I was taking away their dream to play at Penn State, even if it is only temporary for some.
“We, as a coaching staff and administration, fought as hard as we could to fulfill the desires of our student-athletes and their parents to play this fall,” Franklin said. “While I appreciate the complexities and difficulties of this decision for our conference leaders, I am extremely frustrated because we still have very few answers to communicate to our young men and their families about their futures and very little understanding of the factors contributing to this decision.”
THE HOUR-long press conference was akin to Franklin going through each of the seven stages of grief in front of the world. He started the dialogue by expressing the shock of having no football season.
“We are heartbroken for our student-athletes because of how much they’ve sacrificed to put themselves in a position to compete at the highest level,” Franklin said wistfully. “But now, they are left frustrated and unsure of what the future holds.”
When appealing to hearts wasn’t enough to convey his message, he brought out some statistical facts.
“Penn State has worked extremely hard to provide the safest environment possible for our student-athletes over the last three months,” Franklin said. “Our student-athletes have matched our institution’s diligence by following the recommended health and safety protocols with the intent to play this fall.
“Our most recent COVID-19 tests of our entire program _ student-athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, strength and conditioning and equipment staff _ yielded zero positive tests after our first week of practice. This is attributed to the steadfast efforts of our medical professionals, student-athletes and staff.”
THE FOOTBALL team started to practice Aug. 7. The athletic department, which has updated the public on athlete COVID-19 testing every two weeks, announced eight positive tests back on July 29 and one new positive test Wednesday. Franklin, perhaps in the bargaining stage, hoped the efforts of the program were going to be enough to keep the season alive.
“So many people worked so hard to make it work,” Franklin said. “A lot of people sacrificed a lot of things to allow for the football season to happen. The challenge is that you work so hard to create this culture and this chemistry and build this organization that runs like a family. We’ve worked to build these habits and now we’re trying to break them all down. … And it was working. And it was working really well.”
Wednesday’s chat was eight days after the Big Ten decision came down, and Franklin reluctantly got to the stage of acceptance.
“I think in some ways, there should be some praise for the decision that was made,” Franklin said. “But as I’ve stated before, my issue has been the process and the timing of it, not necessarily the actual decision that was made.”
Hope, if there is any, comes with the opportunity to play football in 2021. Franklin believes the best way to make it happen is to play games starting in January and finishing them before the NFL draft in April. But even with hope comes another challenge: Where will the games be played?
“We’re at a point right now where we have to do everything to save the 2020 season,” Franklin said. “In a perfect world, would you love to have games in Beaver Stadium this winter? Yes, without a doubt. But with the information we have right now, I don’t know how feasible that is.”
Franklin and the Penn State community will likely continue to vacillate between grief stages from not having a football season. But the head coach will try to process it quicker than anyone else because he knows he will have lots of questions to answer from everyone involved.
“It was challenging to keep getting up in front of my team and getting up in front of my parents and not having answers to their questions,” Franklin said. “… We have to have all the answers for what that’s going to mean when it comes to eligibility, when it comes to scholarships, when it comes to the next opportunity to play.”
If nothing else, Franklin sounded like a man who understands his role as a head coach of the Nittany Lions.
“I think that’s the leader’s job is to set the vision, set the plan, and then drive everybody toward that vision in that plan,” he said. “And when you do face challenges or issues, it’s the job of the leader either to have the answers or find the answers.”
