Penn State's James Franklin steps away from press conference when asked about former players' rape charges

James Franklin's media availability on Thursday was uncomfortable.

The Penn State head coach was at the mic a day after two former Nittany Lions were charged with rape.

Jameial Lyons, a 19-year-old from Philadelphia, is being charged with rape, aggravated assault without consent, voluntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated individual assault without consent, as well as misdemeanors of indecent assault without consent of others and invasion of privacy without consent.

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Kaveion Keys, also 19, from Richmond, Virginia, is charged with rape, aggravated indecent assault without consent and sexual assault, as well as a misdemeanor charge of indecent assault without consent of others.

A reporter was trying to get a comment from Franklin about the "serious and sensitive subject," but before he could even finish his thought, Franklin stepped away from the microphone and even motioned for a staffer to step forward.

The staffer referred to the statement the school had released and read it out loud.

Franklin then stepped back to the mic, acting like nothing had happened.

"Hey guys, any questions?" Franklin asked.

Franklin was then asked when he was aware the players would not be on the team, and he stepped away again.

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The staffer, in an angrier tone, said they would not make another comment.

For a third time, Franklin said, "Hey guys." Another staffer asked to "keep the questions to Wisconsin."

According to PennLive, the charges stem from alleged events from July 7 when a student reported sexual assault in a residence hall on Penn State’s campus in State College. An affidavit of probable cause has not yet been released, the outlet adds.

"We are aware of the serious charges against Mr. Keys and Mr. Lyons, who are no longer enrolled at the University," Penn State said on Tuesday in a statement. "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."

Lyons and Keys are no longer members of the Penn State football program, as the outlet was told on July 31 they were placed on interim suspension to handle a "personal matter" before confirming three days later they were indeed no longer with the squad. 

Fox News' Scott Thompson contributed to this report.

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