A jury is scheduled to hear claims Monday that Penn State officials removed a team doctor after he complained that head football coach James Franklin was interfering in medical care for athletes and putting their health and safety at risk.
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Scott Lynch sued in August 2019, about six months after being removed as football team orthopedic physician and director of athletic medicine at Penn State, a position he had held since 2014.
Lynch said the removal was retaliation for having complained about Franklin. According to a revised complaint filed in 2021, on "multiple and repeated occasions, Coach James Franklin attempted to interfere with the plaintiff's autonomous authority to determine medical management and return-to-play decisions related to student-athletes.