James Franklin on fan interactions and the Jason Kelce incident at the Penn State-Ohio game

Penn State coach James Franklin on Monday addressed two interpellations that went viral during the Nittany Lions’ game against Ohio State at Beaver Stadium. The first was his encounter with a fan after a Nittany Lions game Lost to the Buckeyes 20:13. The second involved former Philadelphia Eagles player Jason Kelce, who was filmed smashing another person’s cell phone after confronting a fan filming him asking a provocative question about his brother Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.

Walking off the field, following Penn State’s eighth straight loss to the BuckeyesFranklin was met with cheers coming from the stands above the Beaver Stadium tunnel. One fan walked up to the railing above the tunnel and said something to Franklin, who was walking with one of his daughters. Franklin responded by asking, “What’s your name?”

During his weekly press conference on Monday, Franklin expanded his perspective on this moment.

“I’m really good at it,” Franklin said. “Someone was yelling at me and my daughter within a few feet as we were walking off the field. It doesn’t bother me. It’s a territorial issue. I asked the young man what his name was. For me it’s like posting a message. If you’re going to post something, post it with your photo and name and acknowledge what you’re posting. And if you’re going to say something, I just asked this gentleman what his name was (He ) started stuttering and backed away and didn’t say his name, so criticisms and opinions come out, that’s part of the territory. I see, I just asked the young man his name.”

Franklin also commented: viral moment that took place outside Beaver Stadium featuring former Eagles linebacker Jason Kelce attending a Penn State football game for the first time. Multiple people caught Kelce grabbing someone’s phone and smashing it to the ground after the person used slurs against his brother, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce and singer Taylor Swift.

“Jason Kelce came to State College for the first time,” Franklin said. “I wanted him to have a great experience. I didn’t get to meet or see him. I saw something I wasn’t very, very proud of. It’s a pity that didn’t happen. It’s also 2024, I love this person, his actions may have consequences. Can’t it go too far sometimes and we talk about passion and all that great stuff? Yes, but that doesn’t excuse bad behavior with the territory either, but it doesn’t, do it right.”

Franklin reiterated Monday that he understands fans’ frustration after the Nittany Lions’ eighth straight loss to Ohio State. He repeated this too Penn State (7-1) still has a chance to advance to the College Football Playoffs.

“We still have a chance to do what we talked about at the beginning of the season, what our fans want so badly, what the Lettermen want so badly, what the alumni want so badly and what this fan is screaming at me as I run off the field needs it so badly.” said Franklin. “I totally understand that. You don’t fill 111,000 seats without passion and commitment, and we appreciate it all. Can you sometimes go too far? Yes. Should this be addressed? Yes.”

On Saturday, Penn State will host Washington at Beaver Stadium for the annual White Out tournament. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST at Peacock Stadium.

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Penn State on SI is your place to find news, opinions and perspectives on the SI.com network of Penn State. Editor Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, following three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.