Penn State: James Franklin intends to pay for ad thanking Vanderbilt fans

Former Vanderbilt football coach James Franklin had some parting words for his former university in The Tennessean on Thursday in an advertisement paid for by Penn State.

The half-page ad in the Sports section read:

His words: "THANK YOU VANDERBILT. IT WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. I AM FOREVER GRATEFUL. ANCHOR DOWN, JAMES FRANKLIN."

John Ward, vice president of sales for The Tennessean, confirmed that Penn State paid for the ad.

Jeff Nelson, assistant AD for communications at Penn State, wrote in an email Thursday night that Franklin intends to pay for the ad.

Contributing: The Tennessean