College football player dies weeks after head injury
A college football player has died after he suffered serious injuries during a game last month.
The Alabama A&M football team announced on Wednesday that linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr. has died.
“Today, our Bulldog family is heartbroken by the loss of Medrick Burnett Jr.,” Alabama A&M athletic director Paul A. Bryant said in a statement. “Medrick was more than an exceptional athlete; he was a remarkable young man whose positive energy, leadership, and compassion left an indelible mark on everyone who knew him. While words cannot adequately express our grief, we are humbled by the strength of his family, who stood by his side throughout this unimaginable ordeal.”
Burnett, a redshirt freshman transfer from Grambling State, was 20.
While the school’s press release did not list a cause of death, Burnett had not played since he was injured during the Magic City Classic game between Alabama A&M and Alabama State University on October. 26. Burnett’s sister, Dominece James, had started a GoFundMe page on her brother’s behalf on Oct. 30. Dominece said Burnett was “severely injured after a head-on-head collision during the game.”
“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 sister wrote on the GoFundMe page.
Burnett, a native of Lakewood, Calif., appeared in seven games this season for Alabama A&M. He had five total tackles.
