Jake Trotter covers college football for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2011. Before that, he worked at The Oklahoman, Austin American-Statesman and Middletown (Ohio) Journal newspapers. You can follow him @Jake_Trotter.
MADISON, Wis. — Penn State coach James Franklin apologized for walking away from the microphone Wednesday when asked about two former players who were accused by police of raping a 17-year-old girl in their apartment July 7.
“I didn’t do a great job of handling Wednesday,” Franklin said Saturday night following Penn State’s 28-13 victory over Wisconsin. “Difficult, difficult situation and I got to own that I did not do a good job of that. … I did not do a good job of handling that situation and representing this program the right way.”
Former Nittany Lions defensive end Jameial Lyons, 19, is charged with felony rape, aggravated assault without consent, voluntary deviate sexual intercourse and misdemeanor indecent assault without consent and invasion of privacy without consent. Former Penn State linebacker Kaveion Keys, 19, is charged with felony rape, aggravated assault without consent and sexual assault and misdemeanor indecent assault without consent.
Penn State suspended Lyons and Keys from the football team in August.
“We are aware of the serious charges against Mr. Keys and Mr. Lyons, who are no longer enrolled at the University,” a school spokesperson said in a statement last week. “The safety of our community is our top priority, and Penn State takes any report of sexual assault or misconduct very seriously and investigates any and all reports.”
After Wednesday’s practice, a reporter started to ask Franklin about the criminal case. Franklin walked away from the microphone, and a university spokesperson read a prepared statement: “Regarding the two former Penn State football players, we released a statement yesterday and our program and athletics department will have no further comment.”
When another reporter attempted to ask Franklin about dismissing the players, he walked away again.
Franklin said Saturday that he understood why the questions needed to be asked.
“I respect that,” he said. “The reality is there’s not a whole lot more I can say other than that [university’s] statement. It’s an ongoing legal situation and it’s challenging. It’s challenging on everybody. … I didn’t do a good job there. I’m trying to get better like everybody else in a difficult situation. … I apologize.”
ESPN Senior Writer Mark Schlabach contributed to this report.
The days leading up to the 2025 NHL trade deadline were a furious final sprint as contenders looked to stock up for a postseason run while rebuilding clubs added prospects and draft capital.
After the overnight Brock Nelson blockbuster Thursday, Friday lived up to expectations, with Mikko Rantanen, Brad Marchand and other high-profile players finishing the day on different teams than they started with. All told, NHL teams made 24 trades on deadline day involving 47 players.
Which teams and players won the day? Who might not feel as well about the situation after trade season? Reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski identify the biggest winners and losers of the 2025 NHL trade deadline:
There are some who saw what the Carolina Hurricanes did at the trade deadline — or perhaps failed to do after they traded Mikko Rantanen — and believe they’re cooked when it comes to the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, based on the projections from Stathletes, the Canes remain the team with the highest chances of winning the Cup, at 16.7%.
Standing before them on Sunday are the Winnipeg Jets (5 p.m. ET, ESPN+). The Jets had a relatively quiet deadline, adding Luke Schenn and Brandon Tanev, though sometimes these additions are the types of small tweaks that can push a contender over the edge. As it stands, the Jets enter their showdown against the Canes with the sixth-highest Cup chances, at 8.7%.
Carolina has made two trips to the Cup Final: a loss to the Detroit Red Wings in 2002 and a win over the Edmonton Oilers in 2006. The Canes have reached the conference finals three times since (2009, 2019, 2023). Winnipeg has yet to make the Cup Final, and was defeated 4-1 in the 2018 Western Conference finals by the Vegas Golden Knights in the club’s lone trip to the penultimate stage.
Both clubs are due. Will this be their year?
There is a lot of runway left until the final day of the season on April 17, and we’ll help you keep track of it all here on the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide detail on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Points: 43 Regulation wins: 12 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 17 Points pace: 54.3 Next game: vs. NSH (Tuesday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 8
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters.
Hintz extended his stick toward Henrique, whose wrist shot sent the puck under Hintz’s visor during his club’s 5-4 loss to the Oilers. He was on the ice, with his face in a towel, as the team’s medical staff assessed him and helped him skate toward the dressing room.
After the loss, Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said Hintz was at a local hospital, receiving tests. The coach added that the initial report was fairly optimistic for Hintz, 28, who has 25 goals and 52 points.
“Everyone’s optimistic that it’s not ‘serious, serious,'” DeBoer said. “But we won’t know until we get testing.”
The short-handed Stars rallied from a 5-1 deficit before eventually losing. Trade deadline acquisition Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist in his debut for Dallas, which had its four-game winning streak stopped. Wyatt Johnston, Jamie Benn and Matt Dumba also scored for the Stars.