BREAKING: Court rules in favor of ex-Penn State football team doctor who allegedly ‘clashed’ with James Franklin

On Wednesday evening, a Dauphin County court ruled in favor of Dr. Scott Lynch in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed against Penn State Health. Lynch says that he was removed from his role as Penn State football team doctor in 2019 due to his multiple clashes with Nittany Lions coach James Franklin, who he claims attempted to interfere with the medical treatment of players. The ruling brings an end to the week-long trial filled with several shocking allegations, a deep dive into Penn State’s Nike contract and “spatting,” and testimony from former Nittany Lions icons, among other odd turns.

Court rules in favor of fired Penn State football doctor in wrongful terminator suit

First reported by John Luciew of PennLive, a Dauphin County jury ruled in favor of fired Penn State football team doctor Scott Lynch on Wednesday evening. Lynch was awarded a sum of $5.25 million in damages in the wrongful termination lawsuit. 

Lynch was officially relieved of his duties as team doctor in 2019 due to his lack of a primary residence in State College. However, Lynch claims that he was actually fired because of his multiple clashes with Penn State football coach James Franklin.

Franklin, Lynch claims, repeatedly tried to influence the decisions of the Penn State medical staff regarding the treatment of injured players. Examples used by Lynch and his witnesses in testimony during the trial ranged from the rather ordinary, like Franklin attempting to have a star player released for a game, to the extreme, like the coach requesting a suicidal player be medically disqualified from the team.

Neither James Franklin nor Penn State athletics were part of the lawsuit due to a missed filing deadline. Instead, the case proceeded against Penn State Health, where Scott Lynch is still employed.

Still, the Penn State football coach was frequently discussed throughout the lawsuit. Lynch’s supervisor at Penn State Health seemingly downplayed the claims made about Franklin in testimony. Ex-Nittany Lions stars Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley both took the stand in defense of their former coach.

The case also took several turns into the outright bizarre. In one instance, Lynch’s lawyers introduced Penn State’s Nike contract as evidence, attempting to claim that the school could be fined for “unauthorized spatting,” or ankle taping. In another scenario, McSorley was questioned about a previously rescinded endorsement for a Penn State Board of Trustees member seeking re-election.

*Note: This is a breaking news story, and the information included is subject to change.

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