Saquon Barkley is the best player to play under James Franklin at Penn State. On Wednesday, the newest Eagles running back was called to defend Franklin in court as part of a former team doctor’s trial.
Dr. Scott Lynch alleged that he had been removed from his position in retaliation for complaining about Franklin’s interference with players’ return-to-play status. The court ultimately ruled in Lynch’s favor Wednesday, awarding him $5.25 million in punitive and compensatory damages from Penn State.
But Barkley testified that he’d never felt pressure from Franklin to return to play before he was ready.
“I know how great a guy Coach Franklin is. I know how much impact he’s had in my life,” Barkley testified via video conference in Dauphin County Court on Wednesday, per PennLive.
During his freshman year at Penn State, Barkley missed two games because of a high-ankle sprain, the only injury that caused him to miss time during his three years with the program. Lynch, who was fired in 2019, was at Penn State as team physician during that time.
“He never said play through the pain,” Barkley said. “I was so focused on myself, trying to rehab to get back on the football field. When you’re a competitor and you play the game you love, you want to get back out there.”
Barkley, a star at Whitehall High School, even said he was held away from the field longer than he wanted, with the medical staff ruling him out against Indiana when he wanted to play. But Barkley added that he was not privy to conversations between the medical staff and Franklin.
“They were going to sit me down another week,” Barkley said. “I cried. I felt I could have played. I guess we made a decision to be smart and sit another week … Did I agree with the decision? No. I put my trust in them. I had a lot of great people who put my interests first. Sometimes you have to protect the player from himself.”
He also testified to Franklin’s selflessness, saying Franklin urged him to pursue his NFL dreams in 2018 even when Barkley was interested in returning to Penn State. Barkley was ultimately drafted second overall by the Giants and later named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
“I had a real conversation with myself about coming back,” Barkley testified. “Coach Franklin definitely encouraged me to go chase my dream and play in the NFL. He pushed on to me to leave college. Your star player is willing to come back, and your coach who is all about winning tells you to ‘do what’s best for your and take care of you family.’ That’s one of the best stories. It shows who Coach Franklin is.”
