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Penn State Hc James Franklin Allegedly Pushed to Cut Suicidal Player Who Attempted to Jump Out of a Window
Penn State HC James Franklin repeatedly pressured team doctors to clear injured players, urged cutting a suicidal player's scholarship, and fostered a "play hurt" culture, leading to a lawsuit.
Shocking testimony continues to unfold in the ongoing lawsuit by a former Penn State team of doctors against the university, with two ex-staffers making disturbing accusations about head football coach James Franklin's attempts to meddle in player health decisions.
According to court testimony this week, Franklin persistently pressured the medical team to clear injured players for competition against medical advice and even pushed to have a suicidal player cut from the team - potentially revoking his scholarship.
Is HC James Franklin targeting a suicidal player's scholarship?
The most jaw-dropping allegation came from Dr. Pete Seidenberg, a primary care physician for the football team during Franklin's early years at Penn State.
Seidenberg testified that after an unnamed player attempted suicide by jumping out of a window, Franklin and former athletic director Sandy Barbour wanted the medical staff to disqualify him.
"They wanted the player medically disqualified from the team," Seidenberg stated bluntly. "This would have meant the player would lose his Penn State scholarship so Franklin could offer it to another player during the upcoming offseason."
Seidenberg indicated he and Dr. Scott Lynch, the then director of athletic medicine, refused to follow through on the "unethical" directive. "Thankfully, someone stopped him," Seidenberg said of the suicidal player, who was still receiving psychiatric treatment at the time.
"It would have been the equivalent of disqualifying a player with a torn ACL before he received surgery," the doctor testified.
James Franklin overruling player treatment choices
Seidenberg detailed numerous other examples of Franklin allegedly attempting to interfere with the player's health decisions throughout his tenure at Penn State:
- Questioning an abnormally high number of injured players on the practice report
- Pushing the medical staff to clear a key starter for a game despite reservations
- Pressuring them to recommend surgery as the first treatment option for injuries, even when players chose more conservative treatment paths
- Holding meetings to directly lobby Seidenberg and Lynch about health issues
In one particularly heated incident, Seidenberg recalled a Friday night meeting where "Coach was trying to get us [to] release the athlete for return to play. We were being pressured...Coach was trying to influence medical decisions."
When the doctors refused to clear the player against their advice, the former physician said "He was angry. He was angry at our decision."
Perhaps most concerning was Seidenberg's testimony that Franklin's conduct fostered an environment where hiding injuries was encouraged over receiving proper care.
The doctor said Franklin praised players who performed while hurt and even wanted to hang a locker room sign stating: "The unmotivated player, the out-of-shape player, the hurt player, and the bad player all look the same."
"This encourages hurt players to hide their injuries and not report them to the medical team," Seidenberg warned on the stand.
He also recounted how, after one player suffered a broken foot but kept playing in a bowl game, "Coach was very happy. The athlete was applauded for continuing to play hurt."
Allegations Against Penn State for wrongful termination of Dr. Scott Lynch
The explosive testimony is coming in the lawsuit filed by Dr. Scott Lynch against Penn State. Lynch claimed he was improperly fired from his dual role as director of athletic medicine and football team orthopedic consultant in 2019 because he refused to "allow a coach to interfere with his medical treatment and return to play decisions."
Lynch said that he reported Franklin's attempts to override medical advice to his supervisors at Penn State Athletics and the university's health system, to no avail. While Franklin was initially named in the suit, he was dropped due to a filing technicality.
However, Dr. Seidenberg's testimony paints a disturbing pattern of Franklin allegedly injecting himself into confidential player health matters and disregarding team doctors' evaluations.
The doctor said it went beyond just isolated incidents, stating: "I perceived that as his attempt to influence medical decisions" on numerous occasions involving playing time, treatment options, and players being medically disqualified.
If the allegations are true, they could represent a serious breach of leadership ethics that puts player health and safety at grave risk. Whether any firm evidence emerges of actual health codes being violated remains to be seen as the high-stakes civil case plays out.
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