By Tomas Kassahun
Blavity
Reprinted – by Texas Metro News
https://blavity.com/
Medrick Burnett Jr., the 20-year-old Alabama A&M football player, has died after sustaining an injury on the field. Burnett was injured on Oct. 26 when Alabama A&M faced Alabama State during the annual Magic City Classic, ESPN reported. The coroner’s officer has now confirmed that Burnett died on Wednesday evening.
As Blavity previously reported, there was confusion about Burnett’s condition earlier on Wednesday when The Alabama A&M Athletic department announced that he has died. However, the school followed up a retraction, saying they received the wrong information.
“We express our immediate regret for disseminating false information however, we hold complete joy in knowing that Medrick remains in stable condition,” the school said at the time, per CBS News.
According to WAFF, Burnett’s family also released a statement a short time later and said he is still in hospital.
Burnett, who is originally from Lakewood, California, came to Alabama A&M after transferring from Grambling State. The young student-athlete played in seven games this season before he was injured during a head-on collision on Oct. 26, per NBC News.
“His 20th birthday was October 27th and one of the worst birthdays for us because he was in ICU and not doing well,” Burnett’s family stated on a GoFundMe page after the injury. “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.”
Burnett’s family stated on Wednesday that they will provide an update on his condition when the time is appropriate.
“When the time comes, we will issue a statement about what we have been through,” Burnett mother, Denise Burnett, told WAFF.
The family hasn’t yet made a statement after the Jefferson County coroner concluded its report.
