A college football player who died at 18 years old allegedly passed away from a “hazing” ritual.
The parents of a college football freshman who died after collapsing during a workout with the team have filed a lawsuit against the school, school officials and members of the athletic staff.
CJ Dickey, an 18-year-old Bucknell University football player, died after being rushed to the hospital. He was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, which is a condition that is caused by extreme exertion that leads to muscle breakdown. In severe cases, it can lead to kidney failure and, ultimately, death.
The lawsuit claims that the college football freshman was forced to perform a number of “up-downs,” also called “burpees,” because some of the fellow freshmen football players had messed up on some drills, according to the filing.
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From the report:
“They were trying to resuscitate him, and they came to us, and we made the decision as parents to stop, because CJ wasn’t coming back,” said Nicole Dickey, CJ’s mother.
CJ’s case was complicated by sickle cell trait, an inherited condition that put him and others at a 50% higher risk for rhabdomyolysis. He was diagnosed through athletic testing just a few weeks before arriving at Bucknell.
Since 2010, the NCAA has mandated screening for sickle cell trait for all student athletes, the result of a lawsuit over the post-practice death of a Rice University football player.
Bucknell University has reportedly not commented on the lawsuit, or given the parents a reason for his death. However, they believe that it was caused by “the extreme workout as an annual rite of passage for the freshman athletes they say amounts to hazing.”
“I do think CJ was hazed, and I think this was something that was completely avoidable,” CJ’s father said.
His mom added: “This feels like someone pressured and pushed and drove these kids way beyond what they should have been.”
