A former Bucknell strength and conditioning coach is now facing criminal charges of aggravated hazing, involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment after a freshman lineman collapsed during the team’s first-day workouts in July 2024 and died two days later. Prosecutors say the coach pushed the recruit through extra calisthenics despite knowing the athlete had sickle cell trait, framing the session as something far tougher than a routine warmup. The criminal case lands on top of a civil lawsuit the player’s family filed last year that accuses the program of hazing and broad failures by the athletic department.
The charges were detailed in a release from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, which says former coach Mark Kulbis has been charged with felony aggravated hazing along with several misdemeanor counts. According to the office, Kulbis surrendered to authorities, was arraigned, and received $10,000 unsecured bail. “This is an extraordinary tragedy, worsened by the fact that C.J.'s death was preventable,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said in the statement, underscoring the gravity state officials are attaching to the case.
How Prosecutors Say The Workout Unfolded
Investigators say the session involved roughly 100 “up-downs” and several full-body plank drills that Kulbis ordered freshmen to complete, and that no athletic trainer was present during the workout, according to reporting by CBS Pittsburgh. Witnesses told authorities that freshman lineman C.J. Dickey was visibly struggling, yet the workout continued, and that help was not called until after he lost consciousness. An autopsy cited in that reporting concluded that the exercises, combined with Dickey’s sickle cell trait, body weight and exertional rhabdomyolysis, caused his death.
Family Lawsuit And Medical Findings
The player’s parents filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in April 2025 alleging that Bucknell and specific staff members knew about their son’s sickle cell trait but failed to take appropriate precautions, describing the workout in the complaint as a hazing ritual rather than standard conditioning. Reporting by NPR/KNKX notes that a Montour County autopsy listed the cause of death as “dilated cardiomyopathy complicated by rhabdomyolysis,” with sickle cell trait and an elevated body mass index identified as contributing factors. The family’s attorneys have said the university failed to share the medical protocols they expected to see in place for athletes who carry the trait.
Charges, Arraignment And Next Steps
According to the attorney general’s office, the Union County district attorney referred the case to Harrisburg, and Senior Deputy Attorney General Jaime Keating will prosecute it, as outlined in the AG release. Kulbis faces the post-Piazza aggravated-hazing felony in addition to several misdemeanor counts, and the office stressed that the charges are allegations and that he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The release did not immediately list upcoming court dates or additional filings, leaving the timetable for the next legal moves still unclear.
What The Law Says
Pennsylvania’s 2018 anti-hazing legislation, drafted after the death of Penn State student Tim Piazza, created an aggravated-hazing offense when hazing results in serious bodily injury or death and designated that offense as a third-degree felony, as described in the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s bill text. A third-degree felony in Pennsylvania carries a statutory maximum that can reach up to seven years in prison, along with state fines, although any actual sentence would depend on state guidelines and a judge’s discretion. Prosecutors say the aggravated-hazing count in this case reflects their view that the coach acted with reckless indifference to the young athlete’s health.
