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A young college football player died at age 18 after collapsing during practice, and his parents claim it was an extreme initiation practice that ultimately cost him his life.

The family has filed a lawsuit against the university, the athletic staff, and several officials, alleging negligence and abuse.

CJ Dickey, a freshman on the Bucknell University football team, was rushed to the hospital after suffering a physical breakdown during a workout.

He was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a serious condition resulting from overexertion that can lead to muscle breakdown, kidney failure, and even death.

According to the lawsuit, CJ was forced to repeatedly perform high-intensity exercises known as “burpees” or “push-ups.”

This requirement was allegedly imposed as a group punishment because other rookie players made mistakes during a practice.

The physical pressure was such that CJ collapsed, and despite attempts to revive him, his parents had to make the painful decision to cease medical efforts.

“They were trying to resuscitate him, and they came to us, and we made the decision as parents to stop because CJ wasn’t coming back,” said Nicole Dickey, CJ’s mother.

CJ’s condition was further compromised by a genetic factor: sickle cell trait. This inherited condition made him up to 50% more vulnerable to developing rhabdomyolysis.

Despite having been identified with this predisposition through sports physicals weeks before entering college, no special precautionary measures were taken.

Since 2010, the NCAA has required sickle cell trait screening for all college athletes, a measure that came about after the death of a Rice University player.

However, CJ’s family claims that Bucknell University failed to comply with this policy and never provided them with a clear explanation for what happened to their son.

Both CJ’s mother and father maintain that the cause of his death was extreme training disguised as an annual tradition for new athletes. “This could have been avoided,” his father said.

His mother, for her part, expressed that the young men were pushed beyond their limits by pressure from their superiors: “I feel like someone pushed them too far, and now we are paying a price that is impossible to accept.”