Penn State Football: Players Watched NCAA News Conference, Remain Loyal to Lions

With the Big Ten media days fully underway, a majority of the focus has been on Penn State and whether or not players are going to stay with the program or take their talents elsewhere. Head coach Bill O'Brien has had to answer many questions about the current situation, but did not release much information during his press conference.

Senior offensive lineman John Urschel, however, did decide to open up a little bit, and shared a tiny bit more information than his head coach would. (Via Adam Rittenberg and Brian Bennett of ESPN)

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Penn State OL John Urschel said entire team watched NCAA news conference Monday in players' lounge. Although there was disappointment ...

— Rittenberg/Bennett (@ESPN_BigTen) July 26, 2012"

How can a team in this situation not be disappointed? In just a few days, this program has been turned completely upside down, from losing the Joe Paterno statue, to receiving arguably the harshest sanctions the NCAA has ever handed down. There are also new reports that 1,000-yard rusher, Silas Redd, is now meeting (via ESPN) with the USC Trojans, and he may eventually head out west to continue his football career.

But while there is certainly a ton to be upset about in Happy Valley, Urschel also made sure to mention that his team is not dead, and that a majority of the players will remain with the program despite what new reports are claiming. (Via Adam Rittenberg and Brian Bennett of ESPN and Mark Schlabach)

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"There's no funeral going on," Urschel said. "No one has beaten us yet."

— Rittenberg/Bennett (@ESPN_BigTen) July 26, 2012"

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Urschel: "Anyone who leaves, we'll wish them the best. But the majority of our team has pledged to stay."

— Mark Schlabach (@Mark_Schlabach) July 26, 2012"

These comments are very similar to what we have heard ever since the news first broke about the Sandusky scandal. Players are committed to the university and plan to survive these tough times together and help build a better tomorrow. Whether it remains is something we will have to continue to monitor, but it seems like this current group of guys will not budge at the moment.