WJAC — A former team doctor for the Penn State football team accused head coach James Franklin of trying to influence the doctor's decisions on when to medically clear injured players to allow them to resume playing.
Dr. Scott Lynch, in a lawsuit filed in Dauphin County Court, also names Penn State Athletic Director Sandy Barbour, Penn State Health and the Penn State Hershey Medical Center as defendants.
Lynch claims Franklin obstructed regulations dealing with the medical management of student-athletes. Lynch says when he spoke up about his concerns, he was relieved of his duties with the Penn State Athletic Department and that the university has violated the state's whistleblower law.
In the lawsuit, Lynch does not cite specific cases of when he feels Franklin stepped in to influence a player's medical status. Penn State Health, in a statement issued Monday afternoon, says the university rejects the claims made in Lynch's lawsuit:
“In February 2019, Penn State Health administrators decided to change leadership for athletic medicine and the delivery of care for Intercollegiate Athletics. This transition was completed with the best interests of student-athletes in mind, given the increasing complexity and growing demands of sports medicine, as well as health care in general. While we reject Dr. Lynch’s claims and will vigorously defend our program and its representatives, we remain grateful to him for his five years as director of athletic medicine for Intercollegiate Athletics and for his continued association with Penn State Health.”Read the full lawsuit below or by clicking here:
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