‘CJ’s Death Was Completely Avoidable,’ Say Parents Suing Bucknell Over Son’s Death

The parents of a freshman Bucknell University football player who died after his first day of football practice in 2024 have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the school, its administrators, and athletic coaches who, they allege, could have prevented his death.

Calvin “CJ” Dickey Jr., an 18-year-old Florida high school sports standout and graduate, died last July 12 from a severe case of rhabdomyolysis, a serious condition where damaged muscle tissue is released into the bloodstream, potentially causing kidney and other serious problems. One of the causes of rhabdomyolysis is intense physical exercise without rest.

His parents, Calvin Sr. and Nicole Dickey, allege that the university was in possession of CJ’s medical test results revealing he had sickle cell trait, which is known to be associated with rhabdomyolysis, The family claims that the school’s athletics and medical staff could have prevented CJ’s death had they observed “universally adopted protocols for protecting athletes with sickle cell trait” and followed recommendations from the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Athletic Trainers Association.

The recommendations recognize that athletes with sickle cell trait should never be pushed to exertion on the first day of practice. Student athletes with sickle cell trait should build up slowly in a gradual preseason conditioning regimen and not be pressured to perform all out exertion beyond two or three minutes without a breather.

“CJ’s death was completely avoidable,” states CJ’s parents’ 68-page complaint filed in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County.

No Information

The parents also allege that eight months after CJ’s death, Bucknell continues to refuse to acknowledge it caused CJ’s death, to apologize, or to institute processes and procedures to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again. “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 suit says.

According to the complaint, other college football programs have instituted precautions for athletes who possess the sickle cell trait, including mandating that they be readily identifiable through means such as wearing different colored helmets, arm bands, or jerseys. The training and coaching staffs are briefed daily about which athletes possess the sickle cell trait.

CJ’s death occurred two days after his first practice as an offensive lineman. Two weeks prior to CJ reporting to Bucknell, a Bucknell trainer called Nicole Dickey to discuss CJ’s positive sickle cell trait test and assured her that adequate precautions would be taken. Also, the offensive line coach assured Calvin Sr. that he and the rest of the coaching staff were aware of CJ’s situation and would protect him.

On July 9, players were told to report at 3:30 p.m. for a light workout. Less than two hours later, a Bucknell trainer phoned CJ’s parents to tell them that CJ had collapsed and was being treated at a local hospital. Calvin Sr. and Nicole immediately rushed to the hospital, where doctors determined he was suffering from rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury. A doctor indicated that CJ needed to get to a trauma center as soon as possible. CJ was placed in an ambulance for a 40-minute ride to Geisinger Medical Center.

“CJ was suffering greatly,” according to his parents. His condition worsened the next day. He went into cardiac arrest multiple times. One of the doctors told the Dickeys that CJ’s chances of living were very slim and inquired whether they should stop further efforts to resuscitate him. “Calvin Sr. and Nicole made the most difficult decision of their lives. They told the doctors to stop trying to resuscitate CJ and let him go back to God in peace,” the complaint says.

What Happened

Before he was rushed to surgery, CJ told his parents what was happening before he collapsed. Some of the freshmen had “messed up” on some drills and as punishment, the coach made all the freshmen perform “up-downs,” an exercise whereby the player must jump to the ground face down and then bring his body back up to a vertical position over and over. This type of exercise is known to cause over-exertion and is specifically to be avoided by sickle-cell positive athletes early in the training program.

The Dickeys maintain that they have repeatedly asked Bucknell how CJ died but Bucknell has directed its coaches, staff members and players not to provide them any information about the death of their son. But the complaint relates what they say they have learned:

“What has emerged from other sources is that it is an annual rite of passage for the freshman athletes to be compelled, with reckless indifference to the health and well-being of the freshman athletes, to perform intense, rigorous exercises that more senior players are not required to perform. No purpose is served other than gratuitous cruelty. No freshman athlete is exempt in direct violation of the NCAA guidelines. Each must perform or be benched or cut. For CJ, that proved fatal.”

Students who were present at the workout told the Dickeys that CJ was clearly in distress during the 100 up-downs. He was falling behind the rest of the group and could not keep up. The other freshman players were cheering him on and trying to motivate him. They could tell that CJ was in distress but the coach did nothing. Instead of telling CJ to sit it out, he pushed him on, according to the account in the lawsuit.

Staff Cuts

The Dickeys maintain that due to financial troubles, Bucknell cut its medical treatment and prevention services for student-athletes, and several athletic trainer positions in 2024, which affected how it handled CJ’s emergency.

NCAA by-laws require the presence of a certified athletic trainer at all football workouts and practices and require college sports facilities to have an emergency action plan to respond to medical situations. Because Bucknell had cut athletic trainer positions, no trainer was present at the workout downs, according to the suit, and he department did not develop and never rehearsed a required emergency plan.

Bucknell has not yet replied to the complaint, which was filed April 2.

Topics Lawsuits