The team's former director of athletic medicine claims in a lawsuit that he was fired because he refused to “allow a coach to interfere with his medical treatment and return-to-play decisions."This interference included a player who attempted to kill himself by throwing himself out a window, according to Dr. Pete Seidenberg, who served as a primary care team physician during Franklin’s early years as head coach. Seidenberg is no longer with Penn State and practices out of state.
The incident was one of several detailed Tuesday by Seidenberg as part of the ongoing trial in a lawsuit filed by Lynch, who was fired from his dual roles with the Nittany Lions on March 1, 2019. https://www.inquirer.com/college-sports/penn-state/abdul-carter-penn-state-blue-white-game-james-franklin-20240414.html
Franklin and Penn State Athletics were dropped from Lynch’s lawsuit because of a filing deadline technicality. Asked how Franklin reacted to this medical decision, Seidenberg testified: “He was angry. He was angry at our decision.”