(Source: CBS) – Medrick Burnett Jr., a 20-year-old linebacker for Alabama A&M University, has died following a head injury he sustained during a game on October 26. Burnett was injured while playing in the annual Magic City Classic against in-state rival Alabama State. According to the Jefferson County coroner, his official time of death was confirmed Wednesday evening.
Burnett, a redshirt freshman from Lakewood, California, was hospitalized after the injury with a brain bleed and significant swelling of the brain. He underwent an emergency craniotomy in an effort to save his life, as described in a GoFundMe campaign set up by his sister, Dominance James.
The Alabama A&M athletic department confirmed Burnett’s death on Wednesday morning but issued a retraction later in the day, explaining that the initial news of his passing came from an immediate family member on Tuesday evening. The statement clarified that the university had “disseminated false information” and expressed regret for the confusion. The updated message also conveyed relief that, at that time, Burnett was still considered to be in stable condition.
Burnett had joined Alabama A&M’s football team in the summer after transferring from Grambling State, where he began his college football career. He was in his first season with the Bulldogs when the tragic injury occurred.
A GoFundMe campaign started by his sister, Dominance James, to support Burnett’s family has raised more than $48,000.
Alabama A&M officials have not provided further details, and a spokesperson for the athletic department could not be reached for comment Friday morning.
