Penn State's James Franklin leaving family in Florida to protect daughter's health

ByAndrea Adelson ESPN logo
Friday, June 26, 2020

Penn State coach James Franklin told HBO's "Real Sports" that his family will stay in Florida while he coaches this season because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Franklin, his wife and his two daughters have been in their own quarantine since March. His youngest daughter, who is 12, has sickle cell disease, a blood disorder that puts her at risk for complications from the virus. Franklin said they made the decision to separate because it's "the right thing to do for my daughter."

"There was a lot of tears. There was a lot of emotion having this conversation with my daughters," Franklin told "Real Sports" in a segment that aired Tuesday night. "So a lot of heartache over it."

Franklin said his family will stay in their home in Florida. Penn State resumed voluntary workouts earlier this month. The Nittany Lions are No. 5 in ESPN's latest Way Too Early Top 25 rankings.

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