The family of a football player who died after his first practice at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., last July has filed a lawsuit against the school, Bucknell officials and athletic staff, alleging his death was the result of a hazing ritual for freshmen players.
As reported by National Public Radio, Calvin "CJ" Dickey, 18, was doing "up-downs" with his teammates in the school's Pascucci Team Center on July 10, 2024, when he collapsed, according to the lawsuit that was filed Wednesday in the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia County.
Dickey was treated at a hospital for a high heart rate and died two days later. According to an autopsy report issued in January by Montour County and obtained by NPR, he was diagnosed with "exercise collapse associated with sickle cell trait," rhabdomyolysis and acute renal failure.
Rhabdomyolysis, also called rhabdo, is a condition when proteins and electrolytes from damaged muscle tissue are released into the bloodstream, straining the kidneys. Doctors warn that sickle cell trait, an inherited blood disorder, can be fatal when coupled with rhabdo.
"In the lawsuit, Dickey's parents, Calvin Dickey Sr. and Nicole Dickey, and their attorney, Mike Caspino, say Bucknell athletic trainers and coaches knew their son had sickle cell trait and 'failed to take the steps necessary' to ensure precautions were in place to prevent harm," NPR's Chandelis Duster reported. "They say they want the school and athletic staff to take accountability for his death and to provide a full account of what happened leading up to it."
"We have asked repeatedly for not just a high-level overview of what happened that day, but for the details, the specific fully transparent details of what happened to him that day," Nicole Dickey told NPR.
"We've reached the point with Bucknell where we do not feel that we're going to get that," she says. "The only path for us to get that truth is to file the civil lawsuit."
CJ's mother adds, "We're doing this for our child because for us … like a big piece of my heart is gone. I have got to get justice for my child."
During a press conference after the lawsuit was filed, Caspino claimed Bucknell is "doing everything it can to hide the facts surrounding CJ's death."
"I dare to ask, what in the world are they hiding? What is so bad that they can't tell the parents, the grieving parents of a son who died, what happened and don't want to share it with the world?," he said.
Per Duster's reporting, Dickey arrived at Bucknell on the morning of July 10, 2024, where he was set to attend a team meeting, to meet with medical staff, have a "walkthrough" practice outdoors and go to the Pascucci Team Center gym for "a light workout with no weights" in the afternoon, according to the lawsuit.
Once in the weight room, Dickey and other players were told to do the up-downs, an exercise where a person quickly goes down to the ground in the form of a pushup and stands back up, as a form of punishment because some of the freshmen athletes had "messed up" on some drills, the lawsuit says.
Mark Kulbis, a strength and conditioning coach at the time who was present during the workout, pushed Dickey to continue doing 100 up-downs even though he was struggling and appeared to be in distress, witnesses, including students, say according to the lawsuit. And an athletic trainer was not present during the workout as required by NCAA protocols, the lawsuit says.
The suit alleges "it is an annual rite of passage" for freshmen to perform "intense, rigorous exercises that more senior players are not required to perform. No purpose is served other than gratuitous cruelty. … Each must perform or be benched or cut. For CJ, that proved fatal."
It also alleges that Bucknell president John Bravman, associate athletic director for sports medicine Ian Wood, interim vice president and director of athletics and recreation Tim Pavlechko, head coach Dave Cecchini and then-athletic director Jermaine Truax, knew of Kulbis "cruelly abusing freshman players on the first day of practice" and that they "approved of and condoned Kulbis' reckless conduct."
In a statement to NPR, Bucknell said, "While the University will not comment on pending litigation, we again extend heartfelt sympathies to CJ's family, and we will continue to focus on our most important priority — the health and safety of all Bucknell students."
Asked about allegations in the lawsuit and whether he knew Dickey had sickle cell trait, Kulbis told NPR: "Obviously, a tragedy. You know, my heart goes out to that family … just terrible." He declined further comment.
