A former Bucknell University strength and conditioning coach was charged Monday in the death of a football player who collapsed during practice, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office.

Calvin “CJ” Dickey Jr. was a freshman training in July 2024 at the University of Pennsylvania when Mark Kulbis told him and other football players to do 100 “pull-ups” along with some full-body plank exercises, according to the attorney general’s office. Dickey had sickle cell trait, a medical condition that can increase the risk of serious injury or death after extreme exertion.

Dickey, who had been recruited to play lineman positions in college, began having problems and fainted, according to the attorney general’s office. According to the office, Kulbis was the only trainer in the training room.

Dickey was taken to the hospital and died two days later.

The attorney general’s office said an autopsy found his death was caused by the exercises along with his sickle cell trait, his body weight and his exertional rhabdomyolysis, a rare but life-threatening condition in which muscles can deteriorate due to overexertion or other causes.

Kulbis had been told about Dickey’s medical condition and received training from the school about it, according to the attorney general’s office.

Kulbis has been charged with felony aggravated hazing and misdemeanor counts of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and hazing, according to the attorney general’s office. Bail was set at $10,000.

His attorney did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press requesting comment.

“The facts show that this was an intentional and deliberate hazing perpetrated by a trainer who knew that CJ’s health condition made him vulnerable to extreme training,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a statement. “The facts show that this defendant received information about CJ’s health status, along with training on the NCAA’s anti-hazing standards, and ignored that information.”

Bucknell University said in a statement that it has cooperated with the attorney general’s office throughout the investigation.

“Because this is now an active criminal matter and related civil litigation remains pending, the University will not comment on the allegations or legal proceedings,” the statement said.

Last year, Dickey’s family filed a lawsuit against the university, along with Kulbis and a handful of school officials, arguing that the athlete’s death was “completely preventable.”

“If Defendants had followed well-established and well-known practices to protect athletes who have sickle cell trait, CJ would still be alive today,” the lawsuit states.

Dickey and some of his fellow freshmen were told to do the “up and down” on the first day of practice as punishment for not doing the drills correctly, according to the lawsuit. Also known as “burpees,” the exercise involves a person jumping to the ground face down and then returning to their feet repeatedly.

Michael Caspino, an attorney for the family, said at a news conference announcing the lawsuit that athletes who have sickle cell trait are not supposed to exercise hard on their first day of practice.

“They should be made easier to join their practice regiment,” he said. “Otherwise, they may suffer from rhabdomyolysis.”

Kulbis served as the university’s head football strength and conditioning coach for approximately six years, according to his LinkedIn profile. He left in January 2025, about six months after Dickey’s death.

Sickle cell trait, which is diagnosed through a blood test, does not usually affect people’s daily lives. But it can cause decreased blood flow and muscle breakdown after intense exertion, dehydration, or high body temperatures. In very rare cases, this can lead to collapse and death.

The NCAA requires new athletes to be tested for sickle cell trait. Their website states that the trait only becomes a threat in exceptional situations when “athletes push the limits of their physical fitness.”

“Coaches should conduct appropriate sport-specific conditioning based on sound scientific principles and be prepared to intervene when student-athletes show signs of distress,” the NCAA website states.