(File Photo of a Gavel)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Harrisburg, PA) Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced the filing of criminal charges in Harrisburg regarding the 2024 death of a Bucknell University student who collapsed during a hazing incident on campus and died two days later.
Calvin “CJ” Dickey, Jr., of Florida, was on campus on July 10th, 2024, for the first day of his freshman football practice when he was directed to do extensive calisthenics that put him in risk of death due to his Sickle Cell trait.
Mark Kulbis, who was Bucknell University’s strength and conditioning coach at the time, subjected Dickey to the hazing, even after he was made aware of Dickey’s medical condition and received training from the university on Sickle Cell trait and state law and NCAA standards regarding hazing.
Sunday’s office charged Kulbis today with felony aggravated hazing and misdemeanor counts of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and hazing.
Kulbis surrendered late this morning and was arraigned on the charges. His bail was set at an unsecured $10,000.
The investigation shows that prior to the first-day practice on July 10th, 2024, Kulbis subjected Dickey, and other players, to 100 “up-downs” and several full-body plank drills. which are both considered extraneous calisthenic exercises. This was done in spite of training and direction from other coaches that such exercises were not appropriate or safe for use as part of training.
Dickey, who was recruited to play lineman positions, was visibly struggling with the exercises and Kulbis, who was the only coach in the training room, did not summon help until Dickey passed out.
Dickey was treated at an area hospital, but died on July 12th, 2024. An autopsy determined that his death was caused by Kulbis subjecting Dickey to the exercises in combination with Dickey’s Sickle Cell trait, body weight, and exertional rhabdomyolysis.
The Pennsylvania Legislature made the aggravated hazing charge law in response to the hazing death of Penn State University student Tim Piazza in 2017.
