James Franklin says he’ll stay away from family during 2020 season to protect them from COVID-19
By Adam Spencer
Published:
As players and coaches return to campuses across the country, some tough decisions will have to be made regarding COVID-19 risks.
This week, Penn State coach James Franklin (who was the former Vanderbilt coach) revealed that he’d made a very difficult decision to stay away from his family until the season is over.
Speaking on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Franklin said he’d be the only one in his family going back to Happy Valley in order to protect his daughter who has sickle cell disease (via The Comeback):
“I have two daughters,” Franklin said. “My one youngest daughter has sickle cell disease so it’s changed dynamics in our family. My wife and kids are going to stay in Florida for the season. And I’m going to be in Happy Valley just because we think that’s the right thing to do for my daughter with sickle cell.”
Franklin confirmed with Gumbel that it means he’ll be away from his family for the rest of the year. Franklin said, “There was a lot of tears. There was a lot of emotion having this conversation with my daughters. So a lot of heartache over it.”
Florida is a COVID-19 hotspot at the moment, but if Franklin’s family is following distancing guidelines, they’ll probably be fine. Meanwhile, Franklin is going to have to interact with players and assistants all season, so it seems he feels this is the safest course of action for his family.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
