Internal review could not determine violations despite ‘friction’ between James Franklin, ex-Penn State football doctor

An internal university review in 2019 concluded that there was evidence of “friction” between James Franklin and ex-Penn State football doctor Scott Lynch, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press. However, the report left undetermined if Franklin or other Nittany Lions staff members violated NCAA or Big Ten rules by interfering with the decisions of the team’s medical staff. Last week, Lynch was awarded $5.25 million in a wrongful termination lawsuit against Penn State Health, which oversees the medical staffing for the university’s athletic programs.

Internal report finds “friction” between James Franklin and Penn State team doctor, but stops short of violations

Monday, Ralph Russo detailed the findings of a June 2019 internal investigation by the Penn State Office of Ethics and Compliance obtained by the Associated Press. 

The 15-page report detailed the tense relationship between James Franklin and Penn State football team doctor Scott Lynch, describing “friction” between the two men. 

It also expressed the athletic department’s desire to make a change, which occurred in March 2019. Officially, this was because Lynch lacked a primary residence in State College.

However, the review could not determine if Franklin or anyone at Penn State had violated NCAA bylaws or Big Ten standards by interfering with medical decisions. It did recommend further inquiry. 

A different side of the story?

According to Russo, the internal report detailed seven incidents between 2016 and 2019 where Lynch claimed his authority had been challenged. Six involved Penn State football players, while another involved a men’s soccer player.

Lynch expressed that James Franklin would challenge the doctors’ experience and expertise directly, telling investigators he would say “words to the effect, ‘that I’ve been doing this for 30 years and you’ve only been doing this four years.’”

The most disturbing incident of Lynch’s entire case came from the testimony of Dr. Pete Seidenberg. Seidenberg claimed Franklin and then-athletic director Sany Barbour had pushed for a player who had attempted suicide to be medically disqualified from the team. 

The internal review, however, tells a slightly different story. At the end of the 2017 season, Franklin, Barbour, and another administrator demanded a player with a “serious mental issue” be declared as a medical non-counter.

It may seem small, but the significance is large. “Non-counter” aligns with NCAA bylaws, meaning the player would not count against the team’s scholarship limit and would have his tuition covered.

Seidenberg testified that medical disqualification would have resulted in a loss of scholarship. However, this phrasing does not appear in the NCAA manual. 

Lynch was awarded a $5.25 million payout in his wrongful termination lawsuit against Penn State Health last week. James Franklin and Penn State athletics were removed from the lawsuit after the statute of limitations deadline was missed. 

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