DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — The family of a former North Carolina Central University basketball player who died during an offseason workout is suing the university for negligence.
Devin Butts died in 2023 after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a workout at the age of 22.
His family filed a lawsuit asserting that life-saving equipment was not available and the emergency response was too slow.
Devin Butts was 22 years old.
NCCU Athletics
The lawsuit also claims that the university staffers disregarded school policy by ‘allowing athletes to work out unsupervised after hours.
Butts, a 6-5 forward and native of Macon, Georgia, died after he joined three of his teammates for a late-night workout in the school’s McDougald-McLendon Arena, which the lawsuit claims should not have been allowed because school policy strictly forbids it.
The lawsuit also claims that the only automated external defibrillator (AED) available was locked in a trainer’s room in a different part of the building.
ABC11 has reached out to NC Central for comment but has not yet heard back.
Copyright © 2025 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
