Two years after their son collapsed on the floor of a Bucknell University gym and died, the parents of Calvin “CJ” Dickey Jr. finally have what they say they have been seeking: someone facing criminal accountability. On Monday, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that Mark Kulbis, the strength and conditioning coach who oversaw the workout, has been charged in the death of the 18-year-old freshman football player.
Kulbis, 54, faces one felony count of aggravated hazing along with three misdemeanors: involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and hazing. He surrendered Monday, was released on $10,000 bail and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing July 28.
Dickey collapsed during a conditioning session on July 10, 2024, his first day of training camp at the university in Lewisburg. He was hospitalized and died two days later, on July 12, 2024. For his family, the charges arrive as a long-awaited turning point.
“We’re just glad that someone is being held responsible for our son’s death,” Calvin Dickey Sr. told The Associated Press. He said the family plans to remain engaged throughout the legal proceedings and has confidence in the attorney general’s investigation.
What Prosecutors Allege
Prosecutors say Kulbis directed the players to perform 100 “up-downs” — a demanding drill similar to burpees — in addition to holding full-body planks. According to investigators, these exercises were assigned as discipline when players did not execute prior drills properly, and the session served as a hazing ritual for incoming freshmen.
Dickey, a 290-pound lineman recruited from the Tampa area in Florida, had sickle cell trait, an inherited condition that can make people vulnerable to severe muscle breakdown during intense physical exertion. The family had learned of the trait only weeks before camp, through NCAA-mandated screening, and prosecutors say the condition had been disclosed to Bucknell’s coaches. An assistant coach assured the family the trait would be taken into account.
Prosecutors claim that Kulbis was informed of Dickey’s medical condition and had undergone NCAA anti-hazing training but ignored both. As the sole coach present, he allegedly observed Dickey in obvious distress during the drills but waited until the player had lost consciousness before calling for assistance.
The autopsy determined that Dickey died from a combination of the intense workout, his sickle cell trait, and exertional rhabdomyolysis — a condition where muscle tissue breaks down due to extreme physical stress. Medical experts say this outcome is often preventable if exercise is halted when an athlete displays signs of distress.
“The facts show this was an intentional, deliberate hazing perpetrated by a coach who knew C.J.’s health condition made him vulnerable to extreme workouts,” Sunday said in a statement.
The Defense Response
Kulbis, who left Bucknell in early 2025, has denied wrongdoing through his attorney, Barbara Zemlock. She argued that while Dickey’s death was tragic, her client neither contributed to it nor bears responsibility for it. Zemlock said the conditioning program complied with the training Kulbis had received and with applicable standards, and she vowed to fight the charges.
The criminal case runs parallel to civil litigation. The family first filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Pennsylvania state court in April 2025, then dismissed it without prejudice and refiled in federal court. A civil complaint was filed in federal court in November 2025 and remains active. That suit accuses Bucknell and members of its coaching staff of negligence, alleging the school cleared Dickey to play despite knowing about his sickle cell trait.
Attorneys for the family have argued the death was entirely preventable, writing that Dickey would still be alive had established safeguards for athletes with the trait been followed. The NCAA has required Division I athletes to be screened for sickle cell trait since 2010, following several athlete deaths, and advises coaches to increase training intensity gradually and provide extra rest. Its guidelines say athletes with the trait should be allowed to set their own pace, receive adequate recovery between repetitions and stop immediately if symptoms appear.
A University and a Family in Grief
Bucknell has acknowledged the charges through spokesperson Mike Ferlazzo, who said the university cooperated with the attorney general’s office throughout the investigation and continues to extend its sympathies to Dickey’s family and friends. The school declined further comment, citing the pending criminal and civil cases. The district attorney in Union County had referred the matter to the state attorney general’s office last year.
Family members recalled that Dickey told his parents he was embarrassed to have passed out on the first day of practice. His parents have channeled their grief into advocacy, launching a foundation in his memory and hosting the second annual 50 Cal Big Man Camp on June 7, 2026, which drew roughly 50 linemen for coaching and mentorship.
The charges invoke a felony anti-hazing statute Pennsylvania enacted after the 2017 death of Tim Piazza, a Penn State student who died following a fraternity hazing event. Dickey’s family described the criminal filing as a meaningful measure of accountability — a step, they said, taken not only for CJ but for the safety of student-athletes everywhere.