College Football Player Dies After Suffering Injury On Field

A college football player died a month after suffering a head injury during a game.

Alabama A&M linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr. suffered a traumatic brain injury during a game against Alabama State on October 26.

Burnett was taken off the field after suffering the injury and transported to a hospital.

A month later, Burnett died from his injuries after having a swollen brain and brain bleeding.

Medrick Burnett Jr., 20, a linebacker for the Alabama A&M Bulldogs, has died following an in-game head injury he suffered in October, the Jefferson County coroner said in a statement Friday.

More: https://t.co/KlRZDLhDIB pic.twitter.com/eknKFDLo9H

— ESPN (@espn) November 29, 2024

Alabama A&M’s Medrick Burnett Jr #51 dies a month after sustaining a hard head to head hit on this play.

Prayers for everyone grieving the loss of this young man and may he Rest In Peace.🙏

What can we do to prevent this from ever happening again? pic.twitter.com/eGJMlUff0t

— Voice of Reason (@reasonlocker) November 27, 2024

Per Mediaite:

A college football player died Wednesday from a head injury he sustained in October. The news came shortly after reports that he was still alive.Alabama A&M linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr., 20, suffered the injury during the the Magic City Classic — a game against Alabama State — on Oct. 26.

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He left the field on a stretcher and was taken to a local hospital.According to a GoFundMe page set up by his sister Dominece James, Burnett “had several brain bleeds and swelling of the brain.” After two days, she continued, doctors had to resort to a craniotomy to help try to save his life.“Please pray,” she said in a Nov. 27 update. “He is having a tough time but we are holding on til the very end. God give us strength so we can keep the faith.”

The university initially announced Burnett’s death early Wednesday. That statement, however, was later retracted when university officials learned that he was still alive at the time. In its updated statement, theuniversity said it was told by an “immediate family member” that Burnett had died.

Tragic news: Alabama A&M linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr. has died after he suffered a head injury during a game in October.

Burnett was only 20 years old. He was a young man who had a very bright future ahead of him.

Just an awful tragedy💔🙏 pic.twitter.com/WPadC12DYU

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 29, 2024

Check out what NBC News reported:

Officials at Alabama A&M on Wednesday night apologized for erroneously announcing the death of football player Medrick Burnett Jr.In what it called an “unfortunate occurrence,” the school said in a since-deleted announcement online that the 20-year-old athlete had died after it was “originally advised by an immediate family member on Tuesday evening,” the HBCU’s athletic department said.

“Upon hearing from a representative from UAB hospital this afternoon, we learned that he remains alive,” the athletic department said Wednesday evening. “We express our immediate regret for disseminating false information however, we hold complete joy in knowing that Medrick remains in stable condition.

Burnett was seriously injured during a game last month.In an online fundraiser, his family said Burnett had several brain bleeds and swelling. “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,” the family said on the GoFundMe drive.