A former strength and conditioning coach for the Bucknell University football team allegedly ignored the medical condition of a freshman recruit two years ago and pushed him to do strenuous exercises that led to the player’s death, the Pennsylvania Attorney General‘s Office said Monday
Calvin “CJ” Dickey Jr., 18, collapsed in a gym during his first practice at the university in Lewisburg on July 10, 2024. The lineman was hospitalized and died two days later, prompting a lengthy investigation into the circumstances of his death. The district attorney in Union County referred the case to the state attorney general’s office last year, and Dickey’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the university
MORE: PECO union workers end 3-day strike after reaching tentative contract agreement
Former Bucknell strength and conditioning coach Mark Kulbis, 54, was charged Monday with felony aggravated hazing and misdemeanor counts of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and hazing, prosecutors said
“We are aware of the criminal charges announced Monday against former Bucknell University employee Mark Kulbis,” Bucknell spokesperson Mike Ferlazzo said. “Bucknell has cooperated with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office throughout its investigation.”
The university declined further comment due to the pending criminal and civil cases.
“We continue to remember Calvin ‘CJ’ Dickey Jr. and extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends,” Ferlazzo said
Barbara A. Zemlock, an attorney listed for Kulbis, could not immediately be reached for comment on the charges
Dickey, a recruit from the Tampa area in Florida, was born with sickle cell trait. The inherited condition, which had been disclosed to Bucknell’s coaches, makes people susceptible to severe muscle breakdown during intense physical exertion. Extreme exercise can cause oxygen deprivation to vital organs and muscles, causing a serious medical condition known as rhabdomyolysis that releases harmful proteins and electrolytes into the bloodstream
The civil lawsuit alleges Kulbis subjected Dickey and other Bucknell freshmen to do 100 “up-downs,” also known as burpees, as punishment for doing drills wrong.
Kulbis was aware of Dickey’s medical condition, prosecutors said, but disregarded the university’s training on sickle cell trait and other laws governing hazing. Dickey was visibly struggling with the exercises, investigators said. Kulbis, who was the only coach in the training room, failed to seek help until Dickey passed out
An autopsy determined Dickey’s death was caused by Kulbis subjecting him to the exercises in combination with his sickle cell trait, body weight (290 pounds) and exertional rhabdomyolysis, prosecutors said
“The facts show this was an intentional, deliberate hazing perpetrated by a coach who knew C.J.’s health condition made him vulnerable to extreme workouts,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a statement. “The facts show this defendant received information about C.J.’s health condition, along with training about NCAA anti-hazing standards, and disregarded that information. This is an extraordinary tragedy, worsened by the fact that C.J.’s death was preventable.”
In their lawsuit against the university, Dickey’s parents reference NCAA guidelines for athletes with sickle cell trait that say players with the condition should be able to set their own pace during training, be given adequate rest and recovery between repetitions and be permitted to immediately stop workouts if they experience symptoms. The family alleges the exercises that led to Dickey’s death were part of a ritual initiation for freshmen
“No purpose is served other than gratuitous cruelty,” the lawsuit says. “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.”
Dickey’s family said CJ had been a standout athlete in several youth sports despite his condition and was an honors student in high school. When his parents visited him at the hospital, CJ told them he was embarrassed that he passed out on the first day of football practice, the lawsuit says
Dickey’s condition rapidly deteriorated at the hospital as he suffered from rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney injury and suspected liver damage, according to the lawsuit, and he died after going into cardiac arrest multiple times after undergoing emergency surgery
Dickey’s body weight increased to more than 315 pounds due to medical complications while he was at the hospital, his parents told ESPN in the weeks following his death
The family is seeking damages for medical, funeral and burial expenses in addition to monetary support Dickey would have provided during his lifetime
Kulbis was charged with aggravated hazing as a result of a state law passed after the 2017 hazing death of Penn State University student Timothy Piazza, who suffered fatal injuries after a night of ritual drinking during a fraternity pledge event
“This law exists because it recognizes what hazing is: criminal conduct that, in the best possible scenario, humiliates and dehumanizes an individual — and at its worst, takes lives and leaves families and friends forever devastated,” Sunday said in a statement
