Former USC player sues school and Lane Kiffin
Brian Baucham, a former USC CB, is suing the school and former coach Lane Kiffin as he claims he was forced to play in a game while already ill.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in a Los Angeles circuit court. Baucham played for USC from 2008-2012. He was academically ineligible in 2011 as a redshirt junior and played four games in 2012 with six tackles. The fourth game of the season was against Cal, the game that Baucham references in the lawsuit. He didn't play again the rest of the season.
Baucham claims he suffered "cardiopulmonary damage" and "brain injury with neurocognitive deficits" after he played against California at the Coliseum on Sept. 22, 2012. Baucham's lawsuit claims he was ill and dehydrated before the game, but was "forced" to play by Kiffin.
"USC and head coach Kiffin were clearly negligent and acted with conscious disregard for Brian's welfare and safety by forcing him to play ... despite his verified medical history and seriously ill condition," said Bruce M. Brusavich, Baucham's attorney.
Baucham, who had sustained a concussion two months earlier, collapsed on the field in the fourth quarter against Cal. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance and spent several days on a ventilator.
A brain scan later revealed Baucham ''had sustained a brain injury and had bleeding in the brain,'' the lawsuit said. Baucham has no memory of the second half of the game, according to his lawsuit.
Kiffin, now Alabama's offensive coordinator, was removed from his duties as USC's head coach after a loss to Arizona State in 2013.
USC responded to the lawsuit, which doesn't name damages, Monday night. Baucham also says USC tried to revoke his scholarship.
"It wouldn't be appropriate for us to comment on this lawsuit, and due to privacy laws we cannot comment on the specifics of this case," USC athletic director Pat Haden said. "I will say that I am confident that we provide excellent medical treatment to our student athletes and that their health is always our primary concern ahead of any athletic competition."
USC and a former strength department employee were sued by former RB Stafon Johnson in 2011. Johnson was hurt in a weight room accident when his throat was crushed while bench pressing in 2009. The lawsuit was settled in 2012.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
