Alabama A&M linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr. has died, approximately five weeks after suffering an injury in a head-to-head collision during the Bulldogs’ game against Alabama State on Oct. 29. He turned 20 years old on Oct. 27.
Burnett’s death was announced in a statement by the Jefferson County, Alabama coroner on Friday. The coroner called Burnett’s time of death as Wednesday evening. An official news release is expected on Saturday.
The coroner’s office making the announcement was important after Alabama A&M mistakenly announced Burnett’s death on Wednesday after being wrongly informed by “an immediate family member,” reportedly his father. Burnett’s mother and a representative from UAB Hospital then told the school’s athletic department that the linebacker was still alive.
The school then retracted the statement. Burnett was pronounced dead just hours later.
Statement from Athletics
We retract the news of the passing of Medrick Burnette Jr, that was originally advised by an immediate family member on Tuesday evening. Our staff acted accordingly to the wishes of the family member to inform the A&M community and beyond of
— Alabama A&M Athletics (@_AAMUAthletics) November 27, 2024
On a GoFundMe page (which raised nearly $50,000) set up for Burnett’s parents to help with his care, his sister said that Burnett had several brain bleeds and swelling of the brain. Tubes drained the brain to relieve pressure and an emergency craniotomy was eventually performed.
Burnett Jr. was a redshirt freshman linebacker from Lakewood, California, who began playing for Alabama A&M this season after transferring from Grambling State. He played in seven games this year, registering five tackles.
