Copyright Mechanicsburg Patriot News
WILLIAMSPORT — Litigation over the 2024 death of an 18-year-old Bucknell University freshman football player with sickle-cell trait has been refiled in federal court. The negligence and wrongful death suit, originally brought in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court in April but discontinued in September, accuses the university of being responsible for the death of Calvin Dickey Jr., known as CJ. Calvin Dickey Sr. and his wife Nicole, who Friday sued in U.S. Middle District Court on behalf of themselves and their son’s estate, claim his death was a direct result of the negligent and reckless conduct of Bucknell and its employees. They contend the death would have been avoided had Bucknell followed policies and practices to protect athletes who have sickle cell trait like their son. They cite him being required to perform “burpees” on the first day of practice. The exercise consists of jumping to the ground face down and then back up to a vertical position over and over. It is known to cause over-exertion and, according to the Dickeys, should be avoided by sickle-cell positive athletes. Their complaint contends all freshmen players as punishment on the first day of practice on July 10, 2024, were required to do the ups and downs. CJ collapsed and died two days later at Geisinger Medical Center near Danville. The federal suit is against only Bucknell but additional defendants in the Philadelphia case including university president John Bravman, athletic director Tim Pavlechko, associate athletic director Ian Wood and football coach David Cecchini. Also cited are then athletic director Jermaine Truax and then strengthening and conditioning coach Mark Kulbis who no longer are at the university. Before arriving on campus, CJ, who Bucknell recruited out of Florida as an offensive lineman, had completed the mandated sickle cell trait screening and testing. Bucknell was provided his medical records and the test results that showed he had sickle cell trait. Bucknell is accused of knowing Kulbis engaged players in workouts without proper attention to whether they had been cleared. Three months after CJ died, the NCAA suspended Kulbis for requiring injured players to continue working out. The following allegations are taken from the Dickeys’ federal court complaint: Nicole Dickey received a phone call from her son saying he and nine other players had not been cleared to participate in a freshmen workout. He called back to report he had been cleared. During the workout in the Pascucci Team Center, the football staff including Kulbis required the freshman players to perform sets of lifts, body-weight exercises and other exercises and calisthenics. CJ began to struggle doing the required up-downs but no one did anything to stop practice or aid him. Two freshman teammates had to hold him up as Kulbis addressed the team. He subsequently collapsed. No certified athletic trainer was assigned to the workout in violation of NCAA rules and other players ran to get one. Bucknell did not comply with the NCAA requirement to have Emergency Action Plans that are designed for response to such emergencies. The negligence claims in the suit list 39 medical and economic injuries suffered by CJ and another 39 alleged incidents of employee conduct undertaken with reckless indifference to the reasonably foreseeable risk of catastrophic injury or death. The suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages that include the amount of money CJ would have earned from the time of his death the end of his life expectancy less the cost of his personal maintenance. CJ was a two-way player in high school, playing both offense and defense, with a 3.8 grade point average. After the suit was filed in Philadelphia, Bucknell issued this statement: “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."
