Photo: Todd Kirkland
Jason Smith and Mike Harmon react to Penn State head football coach James Franklin declining to answer questions from reporters Wednesday after two of his former players were accused by police of raping a 17-year-old girl back in July. The guys think this shows a serious lack of leadership from Franklin and they discuss why simply staying out of it is a no-go for someone in his position.
Jason Smith: "I understand this is the best season Penn State has had in 20 years and the last thing you want to do is talk about two of your players who allegedly committed sexual assault on a 17-year-old girl... But I'm sorry, you have to answer these questions!... You can't just sit here and go 'oh, we're not gonna talk about it.' You look awful!... I'm not looking for Franklin to [go into incredible detail], but even if it's just [a generic answer], you've gotta say something!... You've gotta acknowledge it."
Mike Harmon: "Look, there's not a way for Franklin to 'win' this situation, but there is a way for him to lose... In this case, you lose because you look like you're abdicating responsibility... That's not showing any leadership. That's not a leader of men... He literally stepped away from the podium, said nothing and drank water. This needs to be addressed other than just 'refer back to this person.'"