Former Penn State football doctor accuses James Franklin of interfering in medical decisions

A former team doctor for the Penn State football team has alleged that head coach James Franklin attempted to interfere in medical decisions regarding the team's players. This emerges from statements available to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Dr. Pete Seidenberg, the head physician for the Nittany Lions football team in 2014, claimed during a civil lawsuit against Franklin and the school that he was coerced by Franklin and athletic director Sandy Barbour to medically disqualify a player who had attempted suicide in order to free up a scholarship.

“I felt that was his attempt to influence medical decisions,” Seidenberg said, noting that a disqualification would have meant the player would have lost his scholarship and Franklin could offer it to another player.

The lawsuit was filed by Dr. Scott Lynch, the former director of sports medicine at Penn State University, who claims that his unwillingness to give in to Franklin's alleged wishes played a role in his departure from the school in 2019.

Seidenberg said he and Lynch refused to give in to alleged pressure from Franklin and Barbour, claiming there were other instances where he believed Franklin overstepped his bounds and tried to impose his will and make other medical decisions.

Lynch says he reported Franklin's alleged interference to the athletic department and Penn State Health. The defense argues there is no evidence that Lynch adjusted his treatment of the football players under pressure from the head coach.

Seidenberg is no longer at Penn State and is practicing medicine in another state.

Franklin has been the head football coach at Penn State since 2014. He has an 88-39 record overall and a 56-32 record in Big Ten competition.

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