Penn State has suffered a significant off-the-field loss.

It was reported by ESPN late Wednesday night that a Harrisburg jury awarded Dr. Scott Lynch, Penn State’s former team doctor, $5.25 million in punitive and compensatory damages after he was fired in 2019 following a conflict with Nittany Lion football coach James Franklin.

Lynch served as the football team’s orthopedic surgeon and PSU’s director of athletic medicine since 2014 before he was dismissed.

Lynch sued Penn State Health’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Dr. Kevin Black, the supervisor who announced his removal.

His suit alleges he was removed as team physician in retaliation for complaining about Franklin interfering with medical treatment and return-to-play decisions, ESPN reported.

ESPN reported his supervisors said at the time that the university wanted a physician who lived in State College; Lynch, a former PSU wrestler, was commuting from his home about 100 miles away in Hershey.

Franklin and Penn State University were referenced in the lawsuit, but both were dismissed as defendants in 2020 due to the statute of limitations.

Franklin was not called to testify at the trial.

A spokesperson for Penn State University did not respond to a request for comment to ESPN Wednesday night.

But Penn State Health issued a statement and left open the possibility of an appeal.

“We are extremely disappointed to learn of the jury’s decision, as we continue to believe that the claims in the complaint have no merit. Penn State Health will soon determine whether it will appeal the decision,” Penn State Health said. “Penn State Health and the University remain dedicated to the health and well-being of our student-athletes.”

Lynch told ESPN he hopes the verdict will prompt an investigation by the NCAA, which has had a policy guaranteeing independence of sports medicine staff since 2016.

“There’s not yet been one school punished for violating medical autonomy issues,” he said. “This is bigger than just Penn State. It’s really a national crisis and things have to change.”

He said he hoped the size of the money awarded in his case would prompt schools to pay more attention to this issue, ESPN reported.

After his removal, Lynch said he made recommendations to Black to reinforce the sports medicine staff’s medical autonomy and improve athlete medical treatment.

But Black did not implement them, prompting Lynch to sue.

“We need to get back to the right principles, stop hiding things, let things come out, be transparent and try to fix the problem,” Lynch said in Dauphin County Court. “I’m disgusted.”

Dr. Peter Seidenberg, who worked for the Penn State College of Medicine for eight years and was the primary care physician who worked alongside Lynch, described an incident in which an athlete had a high-ankle sprain and wasn’t cleared to play, but Franklin “was trying to influence medical decision … We were being pressured to release the athlete.”

Former Nittany Lion standouts Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley both testified on Frankin’s behalf and defended their coach.

Barkley, who now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, said he never felt pressured by the coach regarding treatment he had for injuries.

However, ESPN reported that jurors also heard from former Penn State defensive lineman Rob Windsor, who suffered a knee injury leading to a torn meniscus and said he felt pressured to return to play.

Former athletic trainer Tim Bream testified about a March 2017 discussion about a player whom he said needed shoulder surgery. Franklin was opposed.

“He had a strong opinion of what he wanted to have done, and he tried to insert that into making us see his way, which was not in undergoing treatment, so that Franklin could use his scholarship for another player,” Bream said.

A mistrial in the case was declared in March after a defense attorney mentioned Franklin and Penn State Athletics had been dropped years ago from the lawsuit, according to reports.

It was rescheduled for May 20 and lasted until Wednesday.