James Franklin has had time to reflect. He still does not regret interacting with a heckling fan after Penn State’s 20-13 loss to Ohio State on Saturday.
As Franklin and his daughter walked off the field postgame, the fan berated him with remarks over the Nittany Lions’ failed goal-line stand that ultimately cost them the game. Franklin responded by asking the fan, “What’s your name? If you’re gonna be man enough to talk, what’s your name?” Franklin said on Monday he’s “good” with how the situation played out.
“To me, it’s like posting something. If you’re going to post something, post it with your picture and your name and own what you post. And if you’re going to say something, own it,” Franklin said. “I just asked the gentleman what his name was. He started stuttering, backed up and didn’t say his name. So, critiques and opinions come. That’s part of the territory. I get it. I just asked the young man what his name was.”
This marked the second known occurrence of a fan personally targeting a public figure in or around Beaver Stadium on Saturday. Former Philadelphia Eagle Jason Kelce spiked the phone of a fan after he used a homophobic slur to describe Kelce’s brother, Travis. “Hey Kelce, how does it feel your brother’s a f— dating Taylor Swift?” the fan is heard saying on video.
Franklin said he wanted Kelce to have a “wonderful experience” in State College and wished “that didn’t happen,” but was ultimately satisfied with how the interaction concluded.
“In 2024, I love that that person, there was a consequence to his action,” Franklin said. “So can it go too far sometimes? And we talk about the passion and all those things being great, yes, but that also doesn’t excuse bad, bad behavior at times. So it comes with the territory, but that doesn’t make it right.”
Warning: Offensive language
Franklin is no stranger to boo birds, “Fire Franklin” chants or heated interactions with fans. He’s been through it all before, and said postgame he understands the frustration from those in the community. He’s seemingly focused on what he can control, and that’s winning out the regular season and making noise in a College Football Playoff debut.
He said he’s “proud” of the way his team handled the adversity that came with Saturday’s loss, and appears optimistic moving forward.
“The next opportunity comes with Washington,” Franklin said. “And the more opportunities we handle like that, then we still have a chance to do the things we talked about in the beginning of the season, and what our fans want so badly, and what the Letterman wants so badly, and the alumni want so badly, and what that fan was yelling at me walking off the field wants so badly.”
