Alabama A&M linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr. died at age 20

On By Littum

Alabama A&M’s Medrick Burnett Jr. died at age 20 Wednesday night after suffering a head injury in a football game in October, Jefferson County Deputy Coroner AJ Clifton confirmed with The Athletic on Friday.

The redshirt freshman linebacker suffered a head injury during the Bulldogs’ 27-19 loss to in-state rival Alabama State on Oct. 26 during the Magic City Classic.

Clifton declined to provide additional information to the outlet; however, a press release is expected on Saturday.

Medrick Burnett Jr. aamusports.com

On Wednesday, the university confirmed the death of its student; however, it retracted the statement just hours later after hearing from UAB Hospital that he remained alive.

Alabama A&M said it was “initially informed by an immediate family member Tuesday evening” about the 6-foot-2, 225-pound freshman.

“We retract the news of the death of Medrick Burnette Jr, which was initially informed by an immediate family member on Tuesday evening,” the university’s athletic department posted on X. “Our staff acted in accordance with the family member’s wishes to inform the A&M community and beyond of this unfortunate incident. After hearing from a UAB Hospital representative this afternoon, we learned that he is still alive. We express our immediate We apologize for spreading false information, but we are absolutely delighted to know that Medrick remains in a stable condition.”

Alabama A&M’s Medrick Burnett, who suffered a serious head injury in a game, died Friday after being wrongly pronounced dead by the school a few days earlier. GoFundMe

A GoFundMe started by Burnett’s family says the linebacker was “severely injured in a head-on collision” in October, which fell just one day before his 20th birthday.

“He had multiple brain bleeds and brain swelling,” the family also wrote. “He needed 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 save his life.”

As of Friday night, the family had raised over $51,000 of a $100,000 goal.

Alabama A&M’s Medrick Burnett, 20, died Friday from a severe head injury he suffered in a fight. A few days earlier, he was wrongfully declared dead by the school a few days earlier. aamusports.com

On Wednesday, GoFundMe organizer and Burnett’s oldest sister, Dominece James, posted the latest update on the page, saying “Please pray that he’s having a hard time, but we’re hanging on to the end. God give us strength to keep the faith .”

Burnett originally played for Grambling State in Louisiana before transferring to Alabama A&M.

The Lakewood, Calif. native had five tackles across seven games in the Bulldogs’ 6-6 season.