"Lynch’s 43-page suit, filed by Philadelphia attorney Steven F. Marino, does not list any examples of specific incidents where Franklin supposedly tried to influence a player’s medical care or return to the field. Lynch merely accuses Franklin of trying to sway medical treatment and return to play decisions “on multiple and repeated occasions.”"
Plus, he still works at the Hospital in Hershey. Sounds like a sour grapes claim, if it were real I think there would be at least one specific incident they could point to. Probably more like Franklin disagreed with how cautious the doctor was being, and more or less lobbied the guy to ease up a bit.
Far cry from ordering a guy to pass a player, or say he was okay to play. A coach is supposed to lobby for his players if he thinks they are good to go, and a doctor is supposed to have the stones to tell him no.
That may be true, but what does this doctor have to gain by this law suit? $50,000 is probably not a lot of money to him, he is making damn near 1 million a year. He did not lose his Hershey Med job, he is much closer to retirement that most of us. I just don't see any upside to this for the doctor if Franklin didn't do what he is claiming.
Sounds about right. Look what Franklin did with Mcsorely. Played him hobbling around on the field, limping. Fits the picture...
That may be true, but what does this doctor have to gain by this law suit? $50,000 is probably not a lot of money to him, he is making damn near 1 million a year. He did not lose his Hershey Med job, he is much closer to retirement that most of us. I just don't see any upside to this for the doctor if Franklin didn't do what he is claiming.
I am pretty much surrounded by doctors, and was in the medical industry for a time... and I can tell you their egos are out of control sometimes. I've seen the most abhorrent behavior from physicians, they just can't control their egos and tempers. You'd be shocked how infantile some of these expert physicians can be.
For example: I knew a doctor who would throw things in the OR. Like... pick up scalpels and throw them at the wall. All he had to do is... you know... not act like a 5 year old and he would have kept his job. However, that was too much for him and after being warned he did it again.
Another example: A doctor barged into the office and demanded to have in his title "Assistant Program Director" even though he was no longer in the program. He started flinging things around and yelling at everyone because he couldn't put it on his title card anymore. Threatened to sue the hospital, all because he couldn't use the title of a position he was no longer in.
Some of these people are just ridiculous, so even if you think "there's nothing in it for him"... don't underestimate the power of ego. Again, if the guy has NO DOCUMENTED INCIDENTS (which I assume because the article says no specific incidents were pointed at) then I call BS. Doctors are REQUIRED to keep pretty detailed records, so he'd be able to point to something for sure. Perhaps emails he sent will come out, but again if nothing is documented I find it hard to believe... especially since he works in a hospital setting where documentation is paramount.
The only thing I'm worried about is if he actually did report his concerns and nothing was done. Even if he did not report specific instances, PSU would be obligated to look into the instances. If he was "let go" right after reporting his concerns it would also look bad on PSU and Franklin. I do get the doctor ego angle, but this is a guy that is a PSU alum, former wrestler.....etc.
A team mom, whose son Shane Simmons, was an injured player, has a something to say about these allegations.
https://twitter.com/JenGroveSimmons/status/1166017649819770881
The only thing I'm worried about is if he actually did report his concerns and nothing was done. Even if he did not report specific instances, PSU would be obligated to look into the instances. If he was "let go" right after reporting his concerns it would also look bad on PSU and Franklin. I do get the doctor ego angle, but this is a guy that is a PSU alum, former wrestler.....etc.
Considering the suit said it was ongoing, I doubt he was fired after reporting anyting.
Again, if there was documentation I think that would have been given over or at least referenced in the lawsuit... that's why I'm saying it's all bs.
If there is documentation, and it shows a pattern of Franklin interfering then that's something else.
Also... the $50,000 amount to me reeks of a guy looking for a quick settlement to save face. He doesn't want to look like he was just fired, he wants to blame it on something else.
A lawsuit alleging hey coach interfering with the ability to do his job, plus being fired by the university after whistleblowing on said coach? Come on, if it was serious that would be a multimillion-dollar suit.
Well I guess we'll find out soon enough. This is from a story on Yahoo:
Lynch says that he reported Franklin’s behavior to at least four different sources. Not only did that include athletic director Sandy Barbour and senior associate athletic director Charmelle Green, he also says he reached out to the school’s Athletic Integrity Officer, Robert Borland, and Dr. Kevin P. Black, the school’s chair orthopedics and rehabilitation.
Well I guess we'll find out soon enough. This is from a story on Yahoo:
Lynch says that he reported Franklin’s behavior to at least four different sources. Not only did that include athletic director Sandy Barbour and senior associate athletic director Charmelle Green, he also says he reached out to the school’s Athletic Integrity Officer, Robert Borland, and Dr. Kevin P. Black, the school’s chair orthopedics and rehabilitation.
We shall see... did he put it in writing, or are these just meetings he had where nothing was recorded or documented?
Also, it's entirely possible that all four meetings they told him the same thing: it's not interference, coach Franklin is doing nothing wrong, keep doing your job and we will make sure that Franklin doesn't override you.
The fact that he documented all the people he went to may work in Penn State's favor actually. If he kept escalating what amounted to a nuisance complaint, that would certainly be reason to fire him from the position. How many times can you tell a person the same thing, and have that person keep going over the next person's head?
To me this just sounds like a doctor who hated talkin to Franklin at all, because he was the doctor and shouldn't need to explain anything to the coach. The fact that he can't document one single time Franklin tried to override him speaks volumes (if, of course, it is true that he has no documentation)
My guess is there is nothing to this... Just another headline and an excuse by PennLive and the patriot news to smear the program... Then these putzes have the nerve to charge Penn State fans 6 bucks a month to read this garbage... Wiretap, Bullet Bob and their minions need to go away...
I was listening to ESPNU on Sirius XM, and they just talked about it...
The guy on the radio said that he read all 43 pages of the lawsuit, and there were no specifics within it at all. So right now, it's garbage to fill the news cycle and he said as much.
However, that doesn't mean specifics won't be forthcoming... As I said if the guy has documentation that could be trouble. But it's got to be more than "Franklin disagreed and tried to talk me into playing a player"... That's not interference. Interference would be Franklin exerting pressure on him, and telling him that he better clear people or else.
More and more this story sounds like BS medical politics...
Wayne Sebastianelli was a former team doctor who apparently clashed with Joyner about O'Brien meddling... A SI story was written about it in 2013, and Sebastianelli was very critical about Lynch (the guy bringing the lawsuit) being the team doctor since he was based in Hershey.
...well, well, well... Now Sebastianelli was named team doctor again, and Lynch is out. Hmm.... The reason PSU gave was basically Sebastianelli was right and their were big logistical issues of having the team doc in Hershey. So Sebastianelli was given the job back from Lynch. Obviously, these two guys aren't each other's biggest fans.
Of course this is pure politics and inside baseball within this department ... Of course as a result PennLive and the Patriot News along with their minions (Wiretap Bullet Bob et. al) have to hype it up... To me it's a non story... My question to Wiretap and Bullet Bob is where we're these 2 (investigative reporters) when the Ohio State doctor was fingered for molesting about 200 athletes? It's truly remarkable to me how quickly that story and the Michigan State story went bye bye.... It's also remarkable to me how little coverage this pay to play sneaker scandal is getting...Duke, North Carolina and all of the sacred cow programs are up to their necks in this thing... Yet not a peep of coverage...The hypocrisy is sickening...
Lynch is a good guy. I haven't talked to him in probably 25 years or so, but unless things have changed, he was a pretty humble guy. PSU NCAA wrestling champion back in the early 80's. We were not best of friends, but we knew each other well from grappling days. I doubt he is making up any stories, just not sure what the end game is here. I am sure we will find out soon enough. Doesn't sound like any violations to me.
I have not read the complaint. But from the tenor of the story, it appears that the issue is retaliation for having reported Franklin's interference, not just Franklin's alleged actions. If someone reports a safety violation, you cannot retaliate against the employee for having reported the violation. If the doctor did make the allegations about Franklin and he was subsequently dismissed, PSU will need to demonstrate the termination was in the works prior to the allegations or that there was a strong basis for the termination, not related to the whistleblowing allegation.
We were talking about Nick Suriano a bit on this forum’s wrestling section and it relates to this string. As a popular story goes but can’t be confirmed, Suriano and parents were angry with the way Sanderson handled his ankle injury, forfeiting in the Big 10 tournament and withdrawing from the NCAA tournament. He later transferred to Rutgers becoming a runner up national champ and a national champ the following year. The Penn State optics appear to show concern for his long term health and career over the needs of the team especially when you consider PSU direly needed him the year he was runner up in what was to be a razor thin competition for a National championship vs Ohio State that year. So this story doesn’t involve Franklin but it does Hershey Med Ctr., Sandy Barbour, the athletic department and the rest of the PSU world the good doctor is suing. I’m calling BS on this frivolous suit as just a platform for this guy and his lawyers to get national exposure.
I agree it makes no sense. We needed Shorter last year. He couldn't play because of injuries. Did Franklin intervene to clear him medically? No. Several other big named players have been held out because of injuries, so it makes no sense that CJF would interfere in medical decisions.
Jason Cabinda, another player who dealt with injuries, has chimed in on the subject.
https://twitter.com/jasoncabinda/status/1166347441861300224?s=12
Or, this could be exactly what the doctor is saying. Just playing devil's advocate here, but maybe the doctor did not clear these players after being pressured by the coaching staff to do so and was then fired.
I have no idea who did what or who knew what. I love that players and their moms are coming out in defense of their coach, but they may not have been privy to any of these "conversations".
This is my opinion on on current trends in the health care industry. As health care providers , hospitals, doctors and other medical professionals are merged into singular systems ( UPMC, Alleghany Health Care to name 2) the business has turned less about patient care, rather more revenue generation. I know more than a few doctors that have been pressured to see more patients and by their own admission, made less than clear diagnosis for the purpose of adding more patients. Even my own knee surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic who I think is one of the best in the country and adds more $’s than anyone in his department admitted as much. The medical industry has become a corporate climate where revenues outweigh care. So what’s my point? Could it be Dr. Lynch was fired for not building enough for the pot and he needs to save face? I know this sounds outrageous and to be clear just my uneducated opinion but as I said before, I know more than one old doctor forced out for not generating enough revenue and finding it difficult to align with another system.
This lawsuit would have you believe that James Franklin was completely willing to sit starting players for random "team rules", even for huge bowl games like the Rose Bowl.
...but...
He consistently pressured the doctor to play injured players because he "needed" them? It is just an absurd premise, and what a surprise that in this fantasy land the doctor is the hero.
Where are my pitchfork and torch?
Disgruntled idiot physician....Examples he's lying:Austyn Carta Samuels@AUSTYNCS_6· 9mI was James Franklin’s QB in 2013 & tore my ACL in Game 7. I wanted to play on it. 3 wks later I was cleared by the doctors to play at Florida... Franklin thought I was rushing it & chose to protect me & told me I’d start vs Kentucky the next week. Be better.Jen Simmons@JenGroveSimmonsAs a parent of a son with an injury, absolute and total BS!!!!!!Coach Franklin and his staff have NEVER interfered with a player and their medical rehab. They operate as two totally separate entities. What the medical staff says is what goes. This lawsuit and article are total BS.
Even if the Doctor is in the wrong, penn state had no right to let him go. That's retaliation. I'm going to sit back on this. Of course you will find previous players that will stick up for Franklin. There might be more to this, perhaps a "smoking gun ", some sort of email or proof that his statement is true. Honestly, my opinion is both Franklin and Sandy are toxic to the university. Both need to go.
