The family of former North Carolina Central University basketball player Devin Butts has filed a lawsuit against the HBCU, alleging the university failed to provide timely emergency care and life-saving equipment during a medical emergency that led to the 22-year-old’s death.
First reported by The News & Observer. The Lawsuit claims Butts suffered a cardiac arrest during an unsupervised, late-night offseason workout on April 30, 2023. The incident occurred on campus at McDougald-McLendon Arena. Butts and three teammates had accessed the building through a side door that had been propped open. According to the complaint, the athletes were engaging in voluntary, team-related activities without any coaches or medical staff present. Allegedly in violation of both school policy and NCAA regulations.
What Happened
At approximately 12:30 a.m. on May 1, Butts collapsed on the court. His teammates immediately called 911, but emergency medical technicians did not arrive until 12:48 a.m., 18 minutes later. The lawsuit contends that no Automated External Defibrillator (AED) was readily accessible during those critical moments. The only AED in the building was reportedly located in a locked trainer’s room, situated in another section of the facility.
Butts was resuscitated by paramedics but died four days later, on May 5, 2023, at Duke University Hospital. His death certificate listed ventricular tachycardia, a condition that AEDs are specifically designed to treat, as a cause of death.
“Devin was denied essential, life-saving medical treatment that more likely than not would have restored his heartbeat to a normal sinus rhythm and mitigated consequences of his cardiac event,” the lawsuit states.
Filed with the North Carolina Industrial Commission, the suit accuses the HBCU of gross negligence, citing a failure to enforce emergency medical policies, provide AED training, and maintain accessible life-saving equipment across its athletic facilities. It also claims that university officials allowed a “culture” within the HBCU basketball program that encouraged athletes to participate in unsupervised workouts, often circumventing school rules on facility access and NCAA guidelines for off-season training.
Details of the Lawsuit
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages for medical costs, pain and suffering, lost future income, and punitive damages. It also criticizes head coach LeVelle Moton, alleging he encouraged players to train after hours without proper supervision.
Butts, a native of Macon, Georgia, transferred to NCCU in 2022 after previous stints at Mississippi State, Louisiana, and New Mexico Junior College. He played 17 games for the Eagles during the 2022–2023 season and had one year of eligibility remaining. He was scheduled to graduate in June 2023.
Attorney Jason Burton, representing the Butts family, declined to comment beyond the lawsuit. However, Devin’s father, Derex Butts—a former college basketball player himself—previously expressed deep concern about the lack of basic CPR training and accessible emergency equipment for student-athletes.
“Kids should know basic CPR, especially if they’re in the gym at one in the morning without a coach,” he told The News & Observer in a 2023 interview. “Because who knows? If they knew basic CPR, we may not be having this conversation.”
As of Tuesday evening, June 4, 2025, North Carolina Central University has not issued a public statement in response to the lawsuit.
