Lane Kiffin And USC Sued By Brian Baucham

Former University of Southern California football player Brian Baucham filed a lawsuit on Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court against USC and his former coach, Lane Kiffin.

According to court documents, as reported by the Orange County Register, Baucham alleges that Kiffin "forced" him to play in a game against Cal on Sept. 22, 2012, despite the fact that he was sick with flu-like symptoms - including a 103-degree fever - and was also feeling dehydrated.

Before the end of the game, Baucham was taken by ambulance to the hospital because he was having difficulty breathing. A fifth-year senior at the time, Bauchum never played another game for the Trojans.

"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," Bruce M. Brusavich, Baucham's attorney, told the Associated Press.

Brusavich also claims in the court documents that Bauchum was left with "cardiopulmonary damage" and "brain injury with neurocognitive deficits" from playing while ill.

"It's very unfortunate that the coaching staff decided it had to play Brian when he was clearly ill," Brusavich told the Register. "He'll never be the same."

USC declined to comment on the specifics of the allegations, but athletic director Pat Hayden did release a statement to the Associated Press.

"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," Hayden 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."

According to Bleacher Report, Kiffin, who is now the offensive coordinator at Alabama, has no other recorded cases of player mistreatment filed against him.