Bucknell University has told the parents of a freshman football player who died in July that it is investigating his death, but the player's parents say they are unsatisfied with the school's response because Bucknell has not provided any details about the circumstances leading to their son's death.
Calvin «C.J.» Dickey Jr., an 18-year-old freshman, died July 12, two days after collapsing at his first workout with the Bisons. Emergency doctors told Dickey's parents that he collapsed from sickle cell-related rhabdomyolysis, a medical condition that experts told ESPN is easily prevented, and even reversed, by simply stopping exercise. Dickey's parents said their son had previously tested positive for sickle cell trait as part of NCAA-required testing for athletes. They said the team's head trainer knew about the results of the test before Dickey arrived at Bucknell.
Individuals with sickle cell trait are at a higher risk of a life-threatening condition if they begin to feel fatigued and do not stop exercising. The NCAA's online "fact sheet" for coaches says that «knowledge of sickle cell trait status can be a gateway to education and simple precautions that may prevent collapse among athletes with sickle cell trait, allowing them to thrive in sport.»
It is unclear what protocols Bucknell had in place to monitor Dickey's condition during his first workout. Dickey, while in the hospital after collapsing, told his parents he had been doing repeated up-downs, a training exercise in which players quickly drop into a pushup position before jumping into a squat and then standing position.
Bucknell declined to answer a detailed list of questions from ESPN or to make Bucknell's football coach and head athletic trainer available for
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