Alabama A&M linebacker still hospitalized; report of his death erroneous

HUNTSVILLE — Alabama A&M linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr. is still hospitalized following a head injury he received Oct. 26 in the Magic City Classic.

He was a second-year freshman from Lakewood, Calif., and transferred from Grambling State during the offseason.

Burnett was injured during a head-on-head collision in the Magic City Classic against Alabama State. He has been hospitalized since that time.

A fundraising request on gofundme.com has a $100,000 goal and the school also set up an emergency relief fund. The gofundme goal included money to help the family pay for housing so they could be with him. The link is https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-medrick-burnett-jr-heal-after-severe-injury.

“He had several brain bleeds and swelling of the brain,” Burnett’s sister, Dominece, wrote in a post on the page. “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 appeared in seven games this season, recording a season-best three tackles at Austin Peay.

Alabama A&M released a statement Wednesday morning from Director of Athletics Dr. Paul A. Bryant reporting that Burnett Jr. had died and attributed the information to a family member.

Upon learning from UAB Hospital Burnette was still alive, the athletic department removed that statement and posted an update Wednesday evening.

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