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Penn State’s James Franklin Says Bill O’Brien and Boston College Are a ‘Win-Win’

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Penn State’s James Franklin Says Bill O’Brien and Boston College Are a ‘Win-Win’


Twenty years ago, James Franklin and Bill O’Brien spent a season together on the Maryland football staff. This season they nearly coached against each other as Big Ten opponents. Instead, they’re college head coaches simultaneously for the first time, and the current Penn State head coach said he’s happy for the former.

In his first season as Boston College’s head coach, O’Brien is 2-1 with an early win over Florida State, a week in the AP Top 25 and a tight loss at No. 7 Missouri. Franklin, watching from afar, had some kind words for O’Brien.

“I’ve known Bill for a long time,” Franklin said. “I’ve known [Craig Fitzgerald], his strength coach, for a long time. We were all at the University of Maryland together. Me and Bill lived in the same neighborhood. His wife and my wife were good friends. … It’s been cool to watch it, and I’m happy for those guys and not surprised.”

Pages from the 2004 Maryland football media guide show James Franklin and Bill O'Brien.

An image from Maryland’s 2004 football media guide, featuring current and former Penn State coaches James Franklin and Bill O’Brien. / Courtesy Maryland Athletics

O’Brien, who spent two seasons as Penn State’s head coach in 2012-13, nearly returned to Beaver Stadium on other sideline this season. He spent about a month last winter as the offensive coordinator for Ohio State and head coach Ryan Day. Then the Boston College head coaching job opened, and O’Brien called it a natural fit for him.

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A native of Dorchester, Mass., O’Brien played at Brown and began his coaching career there before moving to Georgia Tech and Maryland. That’s where Franklin and O’Brien met. They served one year together on Ralph Friedgen’s staff in 2004; O’Brien coached running backs, and Franklin coached wide receivers. O’Brien bracketed his time at Penn State with two tours with the New England Patriots and seven seasons as head coach of the Houston Texans.

Franklin viewed the O’Brien-Boston College partnership as a “win-win” for both parties.

“Obviously I followed his career in the NFL, and now back obviously at BC,” Franklin said. “For a short period of time he was also in our conference at Ohio State and now back at BC. For a lot of those guys from that part of the country, BC is like a dream job. It’s interesting. I talked to a ton of guys. That BC job is a very desirable job. If you know Bill, his background, it makes a ton of sense. So when that hire happened, when that whole thing went down, I thought it was a win-win for both BC and Billy.”

Evidently, Franklin has watched a bit of Boston College, likely during the bye week when O’Brien’s team visited Missouri.

“He’s got a really mobile, dynamic quarterback [in Thomas Castellanos] that has done some nice things last year,” Franklin said. “When he got that piece of the puzzle, you can build from there. Billy has tremendous experience doing that. So it’s been cool to watch it, and happy for those guys and not surprised.”

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Franklin’s comments echoed those of O’Brien six years ago at the NFL Scouting Combine.

More Penn State Football

Why is Penn State playing Kent State this week? It’s a long story

Penn State opens as historic favorite over Kent State

Penn State’s bye week imperative? Addressing an increase in penalties

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Penn State on SI is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.





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MBTA Green Line trains out from Kenmore to Boston College on B branch through April 30

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MBTA Green Line trains out from Kenmore to Boston College on B branch through April 30


The Green Line B branch trains will not run between Kenmore and Boston College through April 30, according to the MBTA.

The nine-day outage will allow T officials to work on several infrastructure improvements and maintenance, the installation of Green Line Train Protection System (GLTPS) infrastructure, replacement of 130-year-old wooden overhead catenary wire “trough” near the Green Line portals and more.

The MBTA announced free, accessible shuttle buses between the two stops, Kenmore and Boston College during the outage. The buses will not stop at Griggs Street, Allston Street, and Packard’s Corner due to “accessibility issues,” T officials said.

During the weekend of April 25 and 26, the outage will extend through Copley, and shuttle buses will skip Griggs Street, Allston Street, and Packard’s Corner during the same weekend.

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Throughout the shutdown all Green Line frequency will be reduced between Copley and Government center.

The MBTA urged riders to use the Orange Line at Back Bay during the outage. The agency also noted riders can transfer to Copley from Back Bay, an approximately five-minute walk.

The route 57 bus will also be free from April 22 through 24 and April 27 through 30 for alternate service between Kenmore and Packard’s Corner, the MBTA stated. During the April 25 and 26 weekend, the T noted the bus will not be a good alternate with not Green Line service at Kenmore.



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Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe flex in Boston: Takeaways from Celtics-76ers Game 2

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Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe flex in Boston: Takeaways from Celtics-76ers Game 2


Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined for 59 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers looked like a completely different team against the Boston Celtics in Game 2.

And unlike Game 1, the Sixers’ defense also showed up, holding Boston to 43 second-half points and 39 percent shooting for the game in a 111-97 road win to tie this Eastern Conference first-round series at 1-1.

Edgecombe scored a team-high 30 points on 12-for-20 shooting, and Maxey added 29 points and nine assists. The Sixers’ backcourt duo combined to shoot 11-for-22 from 3-point range. The Sixers were 19-for-39 from 3 after going 4 of 23 from that distance in Game 1.

Boston was led by Jaylen Brown’s game-high 36 points, but Jayson Tatum was the only other Celtics player who scored in double figures with 19. Boston shot 13-for-50 from 3-point range.

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Here are some takeaways with Game 3 set for Friday in Philadelphia.

Celtics offense falls flat

The Celtics knew to expect a different effort from the 76ers.

One adjustment from Philadelphia likely didn’t take Boston by surprise. After taking just 23 3-pointers in Game 1, the 76ers sought out more long balls in Game 2.

Maxey called his own number more often. Edgecombe was aggressive from the start. As a team, the 76ers played with more freedom, firing plenty of shots that they might have turned down in the series opener. Philadelphia made plenty of those looks while shooting 48.7 percent from behind the arc.

Still, the Celtics would have been all right if they had played their usual offensive game. Instead, their offense was their biggest issue. They shot just 39.3 percent on field goal attempts. They missed 37 of 50 3-point attempts. They committed an atypical 13 turnovers.

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Trying to come back in the fourth quarter, they had too many empty offensive possessions. Jaylen Brown got blocked while trying to beat the shot clock buzzer and picked up an offensive foul while hitting Maxey in the face. Jayson Tatum missed a contested pull-up 3-pointer early in the shot clock on one possession and threw away a pass on another. Derrick White was left wide open in the left corner but couldn’t find the bottom of the net. The 76ers left the door open early in the fourth quarter by missing several shots, including a couple of layups, but the Celtics couldn’t fully capitalize. Eventually, Maxey sank a series of baskets to create more separation for Philadelphia, and the Celtics largely went away down the stretch. — Jay King, Celtics beat writer

Sixers bounce back in Boston

This is the way the 76ers have to play if they want to extend this series as far as possible.

Maxey and Edgecombe have to dominate their guard matchups, which is exactly what they did in Tuesday night’s Game 2. Paul George needs to be a deterrent to Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. He doesn’t have to eclipse them, because that would be difficult. But he does have to give them a bit of pause. Most of all, the 76ers have to play the focused brand of basketball they exhibited in Game 2 rather than the sloppy and slapstick kind of hoops they played in Game 1.

The Celtics are such a good team that the above equates to near-perfect basketball. But that’s the task the Sixers are facing, particularly without star center Joel Embiid. On Tuesday night, this was a team up to the task. They were focused. They executed on both ends of the floor. They got much better play from their role players. Maxey and Edgecombe were absolutely dominant.

Overall, on both ends of the floor, this is the best game the 76ers have played in months. And they got it at just the right time. Now we have a 1-1 series heading back to Philadelphia. — Tony Jones, Sixers beat writer 

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Former Massachusetts doctor faces 81 new sexual assault charges

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Former Massachusetts doctor faces 81 new sexual assault charges



A former doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston has been indicted on 81 new sexual assault charges, prosecutors announced Tuesday. Dr. Derrick Todd, a rheumatologist, was already facing rape and assault charges in Middlesex County and had been sued by dozens of former patients.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said the new charges stem from accusations made by 22 victims between 17 and 56 years old. Todd faces 21 new rape charges, 59 new counts of indecent assault and battery and one count of assault with intent to rape.

“Many of these women had complicated and gravely serious symptoms and conditions. Some were in excruciating pain. Many were desperate for relief,” Hayden said. “Dr. Todd intently groomed them all into quiet submission.”

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With the latest indictments, Todd is now facing more than 100 charges of sexual assault in Massachusetts. 

“Almost unimaginable”

The alleged assaults occurred between 2017 and 2023 at Brigham and Women’s Hale Building in Boston and the Faulkner Hospital in Jamaica Plain. Hayden said it’s “almost unimaginable” how Todd was able to violate and betray patients’ trust.

“The scale of victimization and the magnitude of trauma left in the wake of these allegations is something we have never encountered,” Hayden said.

WBZ-TV has reached out to Todd’s lawyer for comment. He could be arraigned in court on the new charges this week, Hayden said. 

Charges against Dr. Derrick Todd

Brigham and Women’s fired Todd in 2023 following accusations that he performed inappropriate pelvic and breast exams on his patients. The I-Team reported at the time that police were investigating more than a dozen complaints of sex assault against Todd by his female patients. 

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In January of 2025, Todd pleaded not guilty in Middlesex Superior Court to rape charges involving two of his former patients at Charles River Medical Associates in Framingham. 

Last month, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said a grand jury indicted Todd on three new charges of rape and 17 counts of indecent assault and battery.



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