An 18-year-old college football player died after collapsing during a workout, and his parents say it was an extreme initiation practice that ended up costing him his life.
The family has filed a lawsuit against the university, sports staff and several executives, alleging negligence and mistreatment. CJ Dickey, a freshman and part of the Bucknell University football team, was rushed to hospital after suffering a physical crisis during an exercise session
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He was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a serious condition resulting from excessive physical exertion that can cause muscle breakdown, kidney failure and even death.
According to the lawsuit, CJ was forced to repeatedly perform high-intensity exercises known as “burpees” or “up-downs.”
This demand was allegedly imposed as group punishment because other rookie players made mistakes during a practice
The physical pressure was such that CJ collapsed and, despite attempts to revive him, his parents had to make the painful decision to cease medical efforts.
“They were trying to revive him, and they came to us, and we made the decision as parents to stop, because CJ was not coming back,” CJ’s mother, Nicole Dickey, said.
CJ’s situation was further compromised by a genetic factor: sickle cell trait. This hereditary condition made him up to 50% more vulnerable to developing rhabdomyolysis.
Despite having been identified with this predisposition through sports medical tests weeks before entering the university, no special precautionary measures were taken.
Since 2010, the NCAA has required all college athletes to be tested for sickle cell trait, a measure that came about after the death of a Rice University player
However, CJ’s family claims that Bucknell University did not act in accordance with this standard and never provided them with a clear explanation of what happened to their son.
Both CJ’s mother and father argue that the cause of his death was extreme training disguised as an annual tradition for new athletes. “This could have been avoided,” his father said.
Their mother, for her part, expressed that the young men were pushed beyond their limits by pressure from their superiors: “I feel like someone pushed them too hard, and now we’re paying a price that’s impossible to accept.”
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