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Brainstorming Penn State-Themed ‘Heel Turns’

Betrayal comes from all walks of life. It can be in sports, it can be in real-world relationships, and it can be displayed in the media we consume.

On Saturday, an image began circulating following WWE’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view where good guy John Cena gives a daunting look before betraying his friend and WWE champion Cody Rhodes. Cena is staring at Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who is out of frame and making a cutthroat gesture.

Cena’s image of turning heel, which in professional wrestling means becoming the “bad guy,” got us thinking about some other Penn State betrayals.

Betrayal and these “heel turns” can be found all throughout Penn State, especially within our sports teams. We decided to brainstorm some Penn State-themed heel turns (and give you John Cena image representation) that we still haven’t quite gotten over yet.

Ja’Juan Seider & James Franklin

In one of the toughest losses for Penn State football of the offseason, running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider took a lateral move to coach at Notre Dame. After recruiting Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, and getting them to stay on the roster for four years, Seider will head to the team that ended his stars’ season.

Micah Shrewsberry & Pat Kraft

As much as we hate to admit it, it was nice when Penn State men’s basketball was “gritty, not pretty.”

Liam Souliere & Guy Gadowsky

After Liam Souliere left Penn State men’s hockey for Minnesota, the program was forced to turn to Arsenii Sergeev. Penn State and head coach Guy Gadowsky got the last laugh, though. They split their most recent series with Minnesota as Souliere turned out to be a fan least-favorite.

Jim Knowles & Ryan Day

Who said betrayals have to be a bad thing?

Ohio State football’s national championship honeymoon didn’t last too long. Right as the Buckeyes were celebrating their first championship since 2014, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles was packing his bags for Happy Valley.

Neeli Bendapudi & Commonwealth Campuses

Real life can be ruthless, too. Not even our Commonwealth Campuses are safe.

Saquon Barkley & The New York Giants

Even in the NFL, a Penn Stater turned heel.

Well, at least to me. I’m still not over that, Saquon.

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About the Author

Michael Zeno

Michael is a sophomore from Eastampton, NJ, majoring in international politics. He's a diehard Knicks, Yankees, Rangers, and Giants fan. When he's not watching old OBJ highlights, he likes to bowl and play pickup basketball. He'll forever believe that Michael Penix Jr. was short. You can contact him at @MichaelZeno24 on Twitter or [email protected]

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