Lawyers for the family of an Oklahoma junior college basketball player who died after suffering a head injury during a game said Thursday the student had been struck by another player’s elbow and accused the team of not providing proper medical care before putting him back on the court.
Ethan Dietz, 20, died on Nov. 25 after being hit in the head during a basketball game in Texas three days earlier. He was a student at Connors State College in the small town of Warner, Oklahoma.
The school provided few details after Dietz’s death about how he was injured and what care was provided. A spokesperson for the junior college, which has roughly 3,000 students, did not address questions about what kind of medical care Dietz received after his injury in a statement released on Thursday.
“Connors State College’s top priority at this time remains caring for Ethan’s family, the team and the CSC community as they continue to mourn this heartbreaking loss,” the statement said. “The college is unaware of any active or pending litigation related to this matter and is unable to comment on any potential claim.”
Several weeks after Dietz’s death, the college announced that Bill Muse, CSC’s longtime men’s basketball coach and athletics director, was stepping down from the program for “personal reasons.”
Michael Holden, an attorney for the family, alleged in a statement that Dietz was denied immediate medical evaluation and was put back in the game after the injury.
Dietz joined his team on the two-hour bus ride home and was taken to a hospital after having seizures in his dorm room, according to Holden. The law firm said it was investigating the death but has not filed a lawsuit.
Telephone and email messages left Thursday with the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office were not immediately returned. According to Holden’s statement, a coroner who examined Dietz’s body reported the cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head and a collection of blood between his skull and brain.
Dietz was a 6-foot-8 forward from Conway, Arkansas, who was averaging 11 points per game through eight games last season.
Krystal Dietz said in the statement provided by Holden that her son dreamed of becoming a Division I basketball player.
“He grinded year-round to better himself for the upcoming season,” Dietz said. “He had the discipline, dedication, and work ethic required to see that kind of dream through, had he only been given the time.”
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