An Alabama A&M football player who sustained a head injury last month has died, according to the coroner’s office.
The Bulldogs’ Medrick Burnett Jr., 20, suffered an injury in the annual Magic City Classic game against Alabama State on Oct. 26. As a redshirt freshman linebacker who transferred from Grambling to Alabama A&M, the linebacker appeared in seven games.
Alabama A&M: Tragic In-game Head Injury Leads To The Death Of Starter (Breaking)
He was stretchered off the field after getting injured on a kickoff return:
According to his sister, Dominece James, Medrick sustained “several brain bleeds and swelling of the brain” and was fighting for his life. A GoFundMe page set up by the player’s sister had raised close to $50,000.
She also revealed he had a craniotomy in a last-ditch effort to save his life, which involved surgically removing part of his skull to ease swelling of the brain.
Medrick Burnett Jr. Death Confirmed By Coroner
The Alabama A&M athletic department announced on Wednesday that Burnett had passed away, but they retracted it, though they claim to have gotten the information from a close family member.
According to ESPN, the Jefferson County Coroner has confirmed that Medrick Burnett Jr. passed away on Wednesday:
“Medrick Burnett Jr., 20, was playing his first season as a linebacker with Alabama A&M University when he sustained the injury during the annual Magic City Classic against in-state rivals Alabama State University on Oct. 26, the Jefferson County coroner said in a statement Friday. The coroner listed his official time of death as Wednesday evening,” the outlet noted.
There was hope that the linebacker would survive following reports that he was still alive.
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