Blue White Illustrated

F O O T B A L L Franklin testifies in Vanderbilt trial When James Franklin was head coach at Vanderbilt, four of his then-players were involved in an alleged rape on campus in June 2013. The case is ongoing, and on Oct. 8, Franklin testified via Skype during a preliminary hearing in Nashville, Tenn. Franklin reiterated that he has never seen video evidence of the alleged crime, which took place in an on-campus dorm. However, he acknowledged that he told his Vanderbilt players during a team meeting in 2013 that he had seen the cell phone video in order to not "water down" the message that he was delivering. He told defense attorneys that he was informed by Vanderbilt administrators on June 25, 2013, that there was video of the alleged rape. Soon after hearing that, Franklin said he addressed Vanderbilt's football team at a meeting during which he informed the players about the allega- tions. That's also when he said he had seen the video, calling it "disgusting." "I didn't want to say, 'I was told [that] I saw a video from somebody else.' That's what I did," Franklin testified. "I ad- dressed the team and spoke as if I had seen the video because I was angry and upset and I didn't want to water down the message to them. "I did talk about the video as if I had seen it, based on what was described to me from the administration. I didn't think that was the right way to deliver my mes- sage to the team at the time." Before giving the testimony earlier this month, Franklin called a meeting of his current Penn State team. He had ad- dressed the topic before, but he gave his players notice that he would be speaking in front of a judge later in the day. "I addressed it earlier this summer and I brought it up again briefly earlier today at our meeting, but that's basically it," Franklin said after practice on Oct. 8. "I've told them if anybody has any questions, I've got no problem discussing it with them as much as I possibly can." Asked if he might be called again to tes- tify, Franklin said, "I'm not sure. I've co- operated from day one and will continue to cooperate. Our concern is for the vic- tim in this case." A C A D E M I C S Coach endorses plan to guarantee aid Big Ten universities will now guarantee four-year scholarships to all student- athletes who have been offered them, league officials announced on Oct. 8. Even if pursuit of the degree is inter- rupted by a professional career, the new measure ensures that the athlete may re- turn to the institution at any time in or- der to graduate with that original degree – provided they remain in good standing with the community, university and ath- letics department. Head coach James Franklin certainly didn't oppose the act and agrees that scholarships should be honored for four years, but he's hoping that his Penn State football players will be on a faster pace to graduation, so the Big Ten's announce- ment shouldn't change much for them. Franklin said he wants his players to finish their undergraduate degree and be- gin working toward a second or post-grad degree before their eligibility expires. "We're always supportive of anything when it comes to education and allowing these guys to graduate," Franklin said. "Our job is to make sure that they gradu- ate here before their eligibility is up. Hopefully, [graduation] in three and half years is our plan. Penn State has got a long history of having great academic rates, and we want to continue to do that." Penn State student-athletes earned a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 88 per- cent according to NCAA data from Octo- ber 2013. The Division I average was 81 percent. The football, men's basketball and women's basketball programs all earned graduation rates at least 15 points higher than the national average for their sport. A total of 96 percent of all Penn State student-athletes earn their degrees. F O O T B A L L T-shirts support children's hospital Uplifting Athletes has teamed with a State College clothing store to sup- port the hospital where Devon Still's daughter is being treated for cancer. The Family Clothesline is offering #SACKCANCER T-shirts, with all pro- ceeds going directly to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Earlier this year, Leah Still, 4, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of childhood cancer. Her battle against the disease has garnered na- tional attention. Still, a second-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012 who wore No. 71 at Penn State, is looking to help other families in a similar situation. He signed off on the No. 71 T-shirt bearing the hashtag #SACKCANCER. The shirt is available through The Family Clothesline, 352 E College Ave., in State College, Pa., and online at pennstateclothes.com. "I really wish my daughter could understand the amount of support you guys are showing her," Still said recently on Twitter, "and how her fight is going to raise awareness."

• Cover