The parents of a Bucknell University football player have filed a lawsuit against the school after their son collapsed during a team practice and later died last summer.
In July 2024, Calvin “CJ” Dickey Jr., an 18-year-old football player from Florida, collapsed from sickle cell-related rhabdomyolysis during the team’s first workout and was immediately hospitalized. He died two days later.
The family filed the lawsuit on Wednesday, April 2, in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court.
According to the lawsuit, before joining the football team, CJ tested positive for sickle cell trait, and Bucknell’s athletics department was notified.
His parents say his death was preventable, and they want to know what happened that day on the field.
“As Nicole and I try to grapple with our new reality, the first thing we want are answers about what happened,” CJ’s father Calvin Dickey Sr. said in a news release. “We want to know how this was allowed to happen, and so far, Bucknell has not answered any of our questions. We also want Bucknell to take responsibility for CJ’s death. CJ did not have to die, and the blame lays solely on the university. Finally, we want Bucknell to sponsor education programs to ensure that no other college athlete is subjected to the pain and suffering that CJ experienced.”
Through this lawsuit, the Dickey family hopes to prevent other families from experiencing the same tragic loss.
Bucknell released a statement in response:
“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.”
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