Penn State Football

Former Penn State defensive back Isaiah Humphries told university investigators that Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin advised him not to contact police following a fight with teammate Micah Parsons.

ESPN's John Barr obtained a draft of the investigation's findings, which stated Humphries and Parsons were involved in an altercation in March 2018 that included Humphries pulling out a knife when Parsons would not stop choking him. The defensive back, who has since transferred to Cal and is suing Penn State, said he met with Franklin after the fight.

"Mr. Humphries added that Coach Franklin came and said, 'Don't talk to the police because Micah is his start [sic] player and makes money, so if he gets in trouble, he's gone,' meaning Mr. Humphries would be gone," report read.

A Penn State spokesperson told Barr, "Franklin has made it clear that he did not instruct Mr. Humphries to avoid contacting authorities."

Humphries' suit alleges Parsons, defensive tackle Damion Barber and defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos sexually harassed him during their time as teammates. Barber allegedly said he was going to "Sandusky" Humphries, referencing former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who is in prison after being convicted on 45 counts of sexual assault and rape of young boys.

Two players interviewed for the report said Barber would simulate sex acts while naked in front of other players and sometimes inappropriately touch them. Some allegations were disputed, including one player saying Humphries "lies for no reason."

Barber, Gross-Matos and Parsons did not respond to requests to comment from ESPN. Gross-Matos and Parsons are not alleged to have made inappropriate contact with teammates.

Penn State and Franklin filed paperwork seeking to have Humphries' lawsuit dismissed.

A miserable season for Penn State continued Saturday with a 30-23 loss to Nebraska, and head coach James Franklin didn't hold back in his assessment of the team.

"All of us in every single area can be better," the coach told reporters after the game.

The latest loss dropped the team to 0-4 on the season after entering the year with high expectations.

The Nittany Lions went 11-2 last season and entered Week 1 of 2020 ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press poll.

After an overtime loss to Indiana, Penn State suffered losses to Ohio State and Maryland before another close loss to Nebraska on Saturday. Down seven in the fourth quarter, the team got into the red zone twice but failed to score the potential game-tying touchdown.

It's led to a historically bad start for the squad:

The defense has been a problem while allowing at least 30 points in every game, while quarterback Sean Clifford has struggled with turnovers throughout the year. The play-calling has also come under fire based on the offense's inability to finish off drives.

It's clear there is a lot of room for improvement if the team wants to earn its first win of the season next week against Iowa, a team that is coming off back-to-back blowout wins over Michigan State and Minnesota.

With the Penn State Nittany Lions trailing the Nebraska Cornhuskers 24-3 in the second quarter of a battle between winless teams Saturday, Penn State head coach James Franklin benched junior quarterback Sean Clifford in favor of sophomore Will Levis.

Franklin made the move after Clifford fumbled while getting sacked by Deontai Williams, who recovered the ball and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown.

Penn State began the season ranked No. 8 in the country, but it is off to a hugely disappointing 0-3 start after losses to Indiana, Ohio State and Maryland.

Prior to getting pulled Saturday, Clifford was just 5-of-8 passing for 37 yards with no touchdowns and one interception against a Huskers team that entered the game 0-2 after losses to Ohio State and Northwestern.

Clifford was PSU's starter last season when it went 11-2 and won the Cotton Bowl. He largely played well, completing 59.2 percent of his passes for 2,654 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions and rushing for 402 yards and five scores.

Expectations were high for Clifford and the Nittany Lions entering 2020, but they clearly have not lived up to their billing.

In three games before getting removed Saturday, Clifford was completing 56.6 percent of his attempts for 859 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions, as well as 150 yards rushing and one touchdown on the ground.

While the counting stats weren't bad at all for Clifford, he made far too many mistakes with five picks in three games and carried that over to Saturday's clash with Nebraska, as he threw an interception and lost a fumble.

Levis saw some action last season, going 28-of-47 for 223 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also showcased his athleticism with 213 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.

Switching from Clifford to Levis did seem to pay immediate dividends for the Nittany Lions, as Levis' first drive lasted 13 plays, spanned 52 yards and ended with a field goal.

Penn State running back Journey Brown is retiring from football after being diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick.

Brown announced the news in a statement on Twitter Wednesday:

Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin told reporters the condition was discovered during COVID-19 testing but is not related to the virus.  

"Although it is not COVID-related we learned about this in early September. ... The entire organization has rallied behind Journey and his family," Franklin said.

Brown has not played during the 2020 season, but no clues were given on his status, aside from it being illness-related. The junior was coming off a strong 2019 campaign, rushing for 890 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he was expected to start at running back for the Nittany Lions. The final game of his career was a 202-yard, two-touchdown breakout performance against Memphis in the Cotton Bowl.

Devyn Ford has started at running back for a disappointing Penn State team, which enters the weekend 0-3 on the season.

One of the best players in the entire Big Ten may miss the upcoming 2020 football season because of a medical condition.

"Journey Brown is being treated for a medical condition discovered during the offseason and will potentially miss the 2020 football season," Penn State said in a statement, per Mark Brennan of 247Sports.

Brown is the star running back for the Nittany Lions and was largely expected to carry on the proud tradition of the position for the program that recently produced Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders.

Brown was a nonfactor in 2018 but tallied 1,024 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns during the 2019 campaign.

He was especially impressive down the stretch when he established himself as the clear-cut top option out of the backfield:

• Nov. 9 at Minnesota: 14 carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns
• Nov. 16 vs. Indiana: 21 carries for 100 yards and one touchdown
• Nov. 23 at Ohio State: 11 carries for 64 yards and one touchdown
• Nov. 30 vs. Rutgers: 16 carries for 103 yards and three touchdowns
• Dec. 28 vs. Memphis: 16 carries for 202 yards and two touchdowns

His performance in the Cotton Bowl victory over Memphis seemingly set him up to pick up right where he left off as a primary option during the 2020 campaign. Instead, the Nittany Lions may be forced to compete with the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and others for a Big Ten Championship without their star running back.

Penn State does have other options in the backfield with Noah Cain, Devyn Ford, Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee, but Brown adds an explosive element to the offense that can take the pressure off quarterback Sean Clifford.

The Nittany Lions face Indiana in Saturday's season opener.

Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons won't be rejoining the team for the start of the Big Ten season next month.

Per Bob Flounders of PennLive.com, Penn State head coach James Franklin confirmed Parsons wouldn't be with the team despite some hope that it could happen once the conference decided to hold a fall season. 

Parsons announced on Aug. 6 he was opting out of the 2020 season for safety reasons and to prepare for next year's NFL draft:

"As I considered all my options for the 2020 season, I decided I needed to make a choice, not for myself, but for my son and those dearest to me. While I felt safe with the health and safety standards as we returned to Penn State for workouts, the potential risk to the health and well-being of my son far outweighed my urge to play football this season."

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Parsons was expected to sign with agents Andre Odom and David Mulugheta of Athletes First. 

That was before the Big Ten voted on Aug. 11 to postpone fall sports, including football, because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

On Sept. 13, the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors reversed course by voting to play a conference-only football season that will begin on Oct. 24. 

Following the conference's announcement, ESPN's Tom Van Haaren reported Parsons was "thinking about" playing for the Nittany Lions. 

B/R's Matt Miller projected Parsons to go No. 6 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft in his most recent mock on Sept. 7. The 21-year-old was a consensus All-American and All-Big Ten First Team selection in 2019. 

Penn State is ranked No. 10 in the current Associated Press Top 25 poll. It will open the season on Oct. 24 against Indiana at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. 

Penn State head coach James Franklin expressed his frustration with the Big Ten's lack of communication amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

During an appearance on ESPN Radio's Keyshawn, Zubin and JWill (h/t Sam Marsdale of 247Sports), Franklin spoke about the "challenge" of trying to answer questions for players and families when the conference isn't providing information:

"I think the big challenge as the head football coach is that your players and your parents think that you have all the answers to what's going on, but the reality is, we're dependent on the Big Ten to drive this thing forward. It's been challenging. It truly has. In terms of where we're at, I'm not really sure. I think that's part of the problem. To me, I've said this from the beginning, I don't necessarily have an issue with the decision. I got an issue with the process, and I got an issue with the timing. To be able to stand up in front of your team and parents and tell them that the season is canceled/postponed, but not have any answers as to how that affects their future and when we will be playing football and still haven't a month later. That's the hard part. It's been really, really challenging. I think a big part of leadership is to be able to deliver answers to people's questions and also to be able to drive people towards a vision and drive people towards a plan. Right now, we don't have those things." 

Since the Big Ten announced on Aug. 11 all fall sports would be postponed because of the pandemic, several teams and football coaches have spoken out against the decision. 

Franklin has been consistent in saying his issue has nothing to do with the postponement, but the lack of response from conference leaders. 

"I don't necessarily have an issue with the decision, but I have an issue with the process and I've got an issue with the timing," he told reporters on Aug. 19. "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."

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren issued an open letter to the Big Ten community to provide some insight on the decision: "The vote by the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) was overwhelmingly in support of postponing fall sports and will not be revisited."

Warren also highlighted six primary factors as the reasons, including the "alarming rate" of transmission for the virus; concerns around contact tracing; and uncertainty about recovery and long-term ramifications of contracting the virus. 

There has been speculation the Big Ten would reconsider its stance regarding football, with ESPN's Adam Rittenberg noting this week that lawmakers from six states sent a letter to Warren asking to reconsider, but Warren's letter said the decision "will not be revisited."

Penn State University announced the halt of sports team activities after 48 student-athletes tested positive for COVID-19 from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4.

"Based on these results and out of an abundance of caution, Penn State Athletics has paused team activities for several programs and initiated standard isolation and precautionary quarantine," the university said in a statement. "Contact tracing is being performed and there is no evidence to suggest COVID-19 was transmitted during practice or training activities."

The 48 positive tests represent a massive spike for Penn State, which saw only one positive test in the previous week's round of testing. The Nittany Lions have been testing athletes and staff at least once a week while the school conducts workouts amid the cancellation of the Big Ten's fall sports schedule.

"We expect our student-athletes to follow University requirements and guidelines for limiting the spread of COVID-19, including wearing masks, practicing social distancing, washing their hands regularly and not gathering in large groups," the statement said.

Penn State did not disclose which sports had positive tests, citing the privacy of the students. Those who tested positive will be quarantined at the university for at least 14 days. The school will use its contact-tracing system to trace the source of the outbreak and test anyone who has come in contact with students who tested positive.

Penn State has seen 59 positive tests among student-athletes since returning to campus this summer. 

Penn State and the school's director of athletic medicine, Wayne Sebastianelli, clarified Sebastianelli's previous comments that 30-35 percent of Big Ten athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 also had myocarditis, a condition that inflames the heart muscle and can potentially be fatal.

Kyle Bonagura of ESPN provided the clarification:

Per Parth Upadhyaya of the Centre Daily Times, Sebastianelli said the following Monday during a State College Area board of directors meeting:

"When we looked at our COVID-positive athletes, whether they were symptomatic or not, 30 to roughly 35 percent of their heart muscles (are) inflamed. And we really just don't know what to do with it right now. It's still very early in the infection. Some of that has led to the Pac-12 and the Big Ten's decision to sort of put a hiatus on what's happening."

Studies have discovered a link between the coronavirus and myocarditis, per Paula Lavigne and Mark Schlabach of ESPN:

"A study published in July in JAMA Cardiology found that out of 100 adult patients in Germany who had recovered from the COVID-19 infection, 60 percent had findings of ongoing myocardial inflammation. A recent review of myocarditis listed with the National Center for Biotechnology Information cites some estimates that find 1 percent to 5 percent of all patients with acute viral infections may involve the myocardium, or the muscular tissue, of the heart."

Concerns over both the coronavirus and myocarditis led the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West, the Big Ten and the Pac-12 to postpone their fall athletic seasons, including football. The NCAA also postponed all fall championships outside of football.

Sebastianelli said in his original remarks that the level of cardiac inflammation seen in the athletes tested was "alarming":

"You could have a very high-level athlete who's got a very superior VO2 max and cardiac output who gets infected with COVID and can drop his or her VO2 max and cardiac output just by 10 percent, and that could make them go from elite status to average status. We don't know that. We don't know how long that's going to last. What we have seen is when people have been studied with cardiac MRI scans—symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID infections—is a level of inflammation in cardiac muscle that just is alarming."

The University of Washington's Dr. Kim Harmon told reporters the Pac-12 has been working with Harvard on a study of the link between COVID-19 and myocarditis, the results of which are expected in about a month. 

Despite those studies and the conference's earlier decision to postpone the season, the Big Ten is reportedly considering an October start to the football season, per radio host Dan Patrick:

That report followed a phone call between Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren and President Donald Trump on Tuesday in which Trump pushed for a return to play, ostensibly to help boost his support in swing states like Pennsylvania, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin ahead of November's presidential election.

"I think it was very productive about getting Big Ten playing again, immediately," Trump told reporters. "Let's see what happens. [Warren is] a great guy; it's a great conference. Tremendous teams. We're pushing very hard."

Penn State head football coach James Franklin understands the Big Ten's decision to postpone fall sports, but he's frustrated by the conference's process.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Franklin explained his frustration with the way the Big Ten went about things.

"I don't necessarily have an issue with the decision, but I have an issue with the process, and I've got an issue with the timing. 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," he said.

The Big Ten announced Aug. 11 it was postponing all fall sports because of the coronavirus pandemic and left open the possibility of shifting those sports to the spring.

Conference commissioner Kevin Warren said, "It became abundantly clear that there was too much uncertainty regarding potential medical risks to allow our student-athletes to compete this fall."

Six days before postponing the season, the Big Ten released a revised football schedule in which each team played 10 conference games running from Sept. 3 through Nov. 21. The Big Ten Championship Game was scheduled to take place Dec. 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Many people have expressed frustration in the wake of the Big Ten's decision.

Parents of football players from Penn State, Ohio State, Iowa, Nebraska and other schools recently sent Warren a letter asking for clarity on why the season was postponed, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

As well, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields started an online petition Sunday to ask the Big Ten to immediately reinstate the fall season. It has received more than 280,000 signatures.