20-year-old college football player dies of head injuries sustained during game

Alabama A&M University football player Medrick Burnett Jr. died after suffering a severe head injury in a fight, the school announced.

Burnett was 20 years old.

The news was announced by Alabama A&M athletic director Paul A. Bryant, who said Burnett died Tuesday.

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A goal post before a game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the North Carolina Tar Heels on November 4, 2006 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

“Medrick was more than an exceptional athlete; he was a remarkable young man whose positive energy, leadership and compassion left an indelible mark on all who knew him,” Bryant said in a statement, according to TMZ Sports.

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“While words cannot adequately express our grief, we are humbled by the strength of his family who stood by his side through this unimaginable ordeal.”

Burnett, a redshirt freshman who transferred from Grambling State this season, suffered a serious head injury in a collision during the team’s game against Alabama State in October.

An end zone corner pylon before the Gasparilla Bowl between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the UCF Knights at Raymond James Stadium. (Jasen Vinlove/USA Today Sports)

Dominece James, Burnett’s sister, set up a GoFundMe for her younger brother, explaining that he had brain bleeds and swelling from the injury.

“He had to have a tube 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,” said James on the GoFundMe page .

Burnett was a 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker who grew up in Lakewood, California.

A Mississippi State Bulldogs football during a game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Missouri Tigers on November 23, 2024 at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss. (Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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He played in five games this season and recorded five tackles.

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