Devastated parents sue Bucknell after son’s ‘preventable’ death from football workout
The parents of a Bucknell University football player, who died after collapsing during his first practice last summer, have filed a civil lawsuit against the Pennsylvania school, alleging wrongful death.
Calvin “CJ” Dickey Jr., an 18-year-old freshman, died on July 12, 2024, two days after he collapsed and was hospitalized due to complications from rhabdomyolysis and a sickle-cell crisis based on independent autopsy findings.
CJ’s parents state in the lawsuit that their son’s death was “avoidable” and “preventable,” as Bucknell University was aware that CJ carried a sickle-cell trait during NCAA-mandated screenings, which was reported to the university before reporting to camp.
The lawsuit, filed in Philadelphia on April 2, states that while at the hospital, CJ told his parents, Nicole and Calvin Dickey Sr., that some of the freshmen had “messed up” on some drills, and as punishment, the coach made them perform “up-downs” — an exercise also known as “burpees” — where an individual must jump to the ground face down and then bring their body back up to a vertical position over and over.
The lawsuit states that Bucknell “failed to take the steps necessary” to ensure precautions were in place to prevent CJ’s tragic death, which was described as “horrific and painful.”
“Eight months later, Bucknell refuses to acknowledge it caused CJ’s death, to apologize, or to institute processes and procedures to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again,” the lawsuit states.
“Focusing on donor relations and athlete recruitment instead of athlete safety, Bucknell has sought only to keep secret the events that led to CJ’s death.”
The lawsuit added, “Bucknell is doing everything it can to hide the truth from not only Calvin Sr. and
Nicole, but from the entire world.”
Rhabdomyolysis is a condition that causes your muscles to break down, or disintegrate, which leads to muscle death, per the Cleveland Clinic. The risk of developing exertional rhabdomyolysis is 50 percent higher in those with sickle cell trait.
The NCAA’s “fact sheet” on sickle cell, which is included in the lawsuits, explains that during intense exercised, red blood cells containing sickle hemoglobin can change shape to either a round or quarter-moon shape, or “sickle” — and that sickle red cells may accumulate in the bloodstream during intense exercise, blocking normal blood flow to the tissues and muscles.
It also said for coaches to “stop activity immediately upon struggling.”
CJ’s parents stated they met with Bucknell staff to ensure their son’s safety with the program.
“Two weeks prior to CJ reporting to Bucknell, trainer Rayna Murphy called Nicole Dickey to discuss CJ’s positive sickle cell trait test,” the lawsuit states. “Nicole was assured that adequate precautions would be taken to accommodate this condition.”
The lawsuit also alleges that Bucknell did not have a trainer present during the workout when CJ collapsed and that they also did not have an Emergency Action Plan (“EAP”) to respond to medical situations — both of which are requirements by the NCAA.
Mark Kulbis, a former Bucknell strength and conditioning coach, is accused in the lawsuit of “cruelly abusing freshman players on the first day of practice,” and that it was widely approved.
In a statement, Bucknell University said it will not comment on pending litigation.
“The death of a student is always a tragic loss. Bucknell University is aware of the lawsuit filed by the parents of CJ Dickey,” the university said in a statement to NBC News. “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.”
The lawsuit goes on to state that three months after CJ’s death, another freshman offensive lineman suffered rhabdomyolysis following one of Kulbis’ conditioning sessions.
That player, who was not named in the lawsuit, survived but suffered serious injury.
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