College football player Medrick Burnett Jr. is confirmed to have died after being injured in a game last month. He was 20 years old.
The Alabama athlete was hospitalized after being severely hurt during a game in October, succumbing to the injuries sustained over a month later, per multiple media reports on Friday, November 29.
Burnett Jr. was hauled off the field during an October 26 game after sustaining injuries in a head-on collision. The game took place just one day before the linebacker’s 20th birthday.
Confirmation of Burnett Jr.’s death comes after his college, Alabama A&M University, erroneously put out a statement prematurely announcing the athlete’s death while he was still alive.
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AAMU officials reported the passing of Burnett Jr. via a press release on Wednesday, November 27.
“Our Bulldog family is heartbroken by the loss of Medrick Burnett Jr.” Alabama A&M Director of Athletics Paul Bryant said via the since-deleted statement. “Medrick was more than an exceptional athlete; he was a remarkable young man whose positive energy, leadership, and compassion left an indelible mark on everyone who knew him.
The statement continued: “While words cannot adequately express our grief, we are humbled by the strength of his family, who stood by his side throughout this unimaginable ordeal.”
The college was later forced to delete and retract the statement after the family confirmed Burnett Jr. was still alive at that point. However, the college student ultimately later died.
“We retract the news of the passing of Medrick Burnett Jr., that was originally advised by an immediate family member on Tuesday evening,” AAMU officials said in a press release, which retracted the original announcement. “Our staff acted accordingly to the wishes of the family member to inform the A&M community and beyond of this unfortunate occurrence.”
The statement continued, “Upon hearing from a representative from UAB hospital this afternoon, we learned that he remains alive. We express our immediate regret for disseminating false information, however, we hold complete joy in knowing that Medrick remains in stable condition.”
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Burnett Jr.’s sister, Dominece James, detailed the extent of the injuries sustained in a GoFundMe she organized in a bid to cover the costs associated with trying to save his life.
“His 20th birthday was October 27th and one of the worst birthdays for us because he was in ICU and not doing well,” she wrote.
“He had several brain bleeds and swelling of the brain. He had to have a tube to drain to relieve the pressure, and after 2 days of severe pressure, we had to opt for a craniotomy, which was the last resort to help try to save his life.”