Michigan Stadium Tunnel 'a Problem,' Penn State's James Franklin Says
Teams playing at Michigan Stadium have been sharing a tunnel to the locker rooms since 1927. Sometimes they cross paths at halftime and after games. Penn State coach James Franklin wants that to change.
Players from Penn State and Michigan shared words but little more at halftime of the Wolverines' 41-17 win last Saturday. Video taken from the tunnel, and shared on social media, showed players from both teams jawing as they went to their separate locker rooms.
Another video showed Franklin telling someone in the tunnel to, "just stop talking to us."
At his press conference Tuesday, Franklin said that venues such as Michigan Stadium with single entry points also should have policies in place to keep teams separated.
"I prefer to talk about these things in the offseason, but the one tunnel is a problem," Franklin said. "It's a problem and has been. To me, we need to put a policy in place from a conference perspective in my mind that's going to stop [it]. We're not the first team to kind of get into a jawing match in the tunnel. For me, I want to focus on getting my team into the locker room and not jawing back and forth."
According to ESPN, Michigan players said after the game that the "jawing" began with Penn State players making social-media comments the week prior. On Tuesday, Michigan offensive lineman Trevor Keegan told reporters in Ann Arbor that a teammate said he was hit in the face with a sandwich thrown by a Penn State player.
Franklin said Tuesday that his team "uncharacteristically" lost its poise and composure during the game, though it wasn't clear whether he was referencing the tunnel situation.
Franklin added that, though the incident didn't go far, a future one could.
"There really should be a policy that first team that goes in, there is a buffer," Franklin said. "If not, this team starts talking to this team, they start jawing back and forth, and something bad is going to happen before we put in the policy.
"All there has to be a two-minute or a minute buffer in between the two teams. This team is in before that team gets close, or however we want to do it. But we're not the first team that's had issues like that. To me, under the current structure, we won't be the last. To me, there is a really easy solution. We've got to do it. But for me, I want to get our team in the locker room. That's my concern."
Penn State returns home Saturday to host Minnesota in the annual White Out game. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
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