Family lawyers for a junior college basketball player from Oklahoma who passed away following a head injury sustained during competition are claiming the young athlete did not receive adequate medical attention before being allowed to return to play.
Twenty-year-old Ethan Dietz passed away on November 25 following a head injury he sustained during a basketball contest in Texas three days prior. Dietz was enrolled at Connors State College located in Warner, Oklahoma.
Following Dietz’s passing, the educational institution released limited information regarding the circumstances of his injury and the medical response provided. When contacted Thursday, a representative from the junior college, which enrolls approximately 3,000 students, declined to address inquiries about the medical treatment Dietz received following his injury.
“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.”
In the weeks following Dietz’s passing, the institution announced that Bill Muse, who had served as both the men’s basketball head coach and athletics director at CSC for many years, would be leaving his position citing “personal reasons.”
Family attorney Michael Holden claimed in his statement that Dietz was not given immediate medical assessment and was allowed to continue participating in the game following his injury.
According to Holden, Dietz traveled back with his teammates on the two-hour bus journey home and was subsequently hospitalized after experiencing seizures while in his dormitory room. The legal team indicated they are conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death but have not yet initiated legal proceedings.
Attempts to reach the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office by phone and email on Thursday were unsuccessful. Holden’s statement referenced a coroner’s examination that determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head along with bleeding between the skull and brain.
The 6-foot-8 forward from Conway, Arkansas, was scoring an average of 11 points per game across eight contests during the previous season.
In the statement provided through Holden, Krystal Dietz expressed that her son aspired to play Division I basketball.
“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.”
