James Franklin leaves press conference when asked about accused former players

Kaveion Keys and Jameial Lyons, two former Penn State Nittany Lions football players, appeared in court Wednesday and were charged with rape and other sex crimes in connection with incidents the night of July 7. Both men were provisionally suspended over the summer for a personal matter and were removed from the squad and released from the university in early August.

A few hours after a court set Lyons' bail at $500,000 and Keys' bail at $400,000, Penn State head coach James Franklin was scheduled to speak to the press. Many in attendance had questions about the details surrounding Keys and Lyons, but Franklin and the school were not interested in answering them.

The first question was asked by Center Daily TimesJon Sauber and Franklin stepped back from the podium so that Greg Kincaid, Penn State's assistant AD for football communications and content, could step forward and read a brief statement that had already been sent to the press.

“Jon, we have already released a statement from the university,” Kincaid said. “Do I have to read the statement again?” Sauber said yes and Kincaid obliged.

“Concerning the two former Penn State football players, we released a statement yesterday and our program and athletic departments will have no further comment. If you require this explanation, please contact me or Chris.”

Franklin then stepped back to the podium and said, “Hey guys, do you have any questions?” When asked another question about the former players, Franklin left. Kincaid read the statement again and someone else told the press to “please refer questions to Wisconsin.”

Then Franklin reappeared and said “Hey guys” again like he had just arrived.

While it wouldn't have been a surprise to anyone that Franklin didn't comment, it was the awkward way the press conference was handled that drew far more attention than Penn State had hoped. Both local and national media representatives are now appealing to both Franklin and the university about how they are handling the situation.

The No. 3 Nittany Lions travel to Madison, Wisconsin, on Saturday to face the unranked Badgers in a primetime game on NBC and Peacock.