Alabama A&M football player's death confirmed days after school’s erroneous statement

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Medrick Burnett Jr., a first-year linebacker with the Alabama A&M Bulldogs, tragically died on Wednesday, just a month after he suffered a serious head injury during a game against Alabama State University on Oct. 26. He was 20 years old. 

News of Burnett’s passing comes just days after the school erroneously shared a statement that the young athlete had succumbed to his injuries, despite still being alive at the time. 

A general view of an end zone corner pylon prior to a college football game.  (Jasen Vinlove-USA Today Sports)

Burnett, a redshirt freshman from Lakewood, Calif., sustained a head injury during the annual Magic City Classic against the school’s in-state rivals last month. Dominece James, the older sister of Burnett, said in a fundraising campaign that he had been injured after a "head-on-head collision." 

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"He had several brain bleeds and swelling of the brain. He had to have a tube to drain to relieve [sic] 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," her initial post read. 

Alabama A&M University released a statement on Wednesday morning confirming Burnett’s passing but later retracted the statement, claiming that they had received incorrect information from the family. 

"Our staff acted accordingly to the wishes of the family member to inform the A&M community and beyond of this unfortunate occurrence," the second statement read. "Upon hearing from a representative from UAB Hospital this afternoon, we learned that he remains alive.

A football on a high school football