Medrick Burnett Jr. dies after false obituary

College football player Medrick Burnett Jr. is confirmed dead after being injured in a fight last month. He was 20 years old.

The Alabama athlete was hospitalized after being seriously injured during a game in October, succumbing to the injuries he sustained over a month later, according to multiple media outlets on Friday, Nov. 29.

Burnett Jr. was pulled from the field during an Oct. 26 game after sustaining injuries in a head-on collision. The play took place just one day before the linebacker’s 20th birthday.

The confirmation of Burnett Jr.’s death comes after his college, Alabama A&M University, mistakenly issued 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 27 November.

“Our Bulldog family is devastated 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 all 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 through this unimaginable ordeal.”

The college was later forced to delete and retract the statement after the family confirmed that Burnett Jr. was still alive at the time. However, college students ultimately died later.

“We are withdrawing the news of the death of Medrick Burnett Jr., which was originally notified by an immediate family member on Tuesday evening,” AAMU officials said in a press release, which retracted the original announcement. “Our staff acted in accordance with the family member’s wishes to inform the A&M community and beyond of this unfortunate incident.”

The statement continued: “Upon hearing from a UAB hospital representative this afternoon, we learned that he is still alive. We express our immediate regret for spreading false information, but we are completely happy to know that Medrick remains in stable condition.”

Burnett Jr.’s sister, Dominic Jamesdetailed the extent of the damage sustained in a GoFundMe she organized in an effort to cover the costs associated with trying to save his life.

“His 20th birthday was on October 27th and one of the worst birthdays for us because he was in ICU and not feeling well,” she wrote.

“He had multiple brain bleeds and brain swelling. 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. “