Alabama A&M linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr. has reportedly passed away from injuries suffered in a head-on-head collision during a game last month.
The player, who was only 20, was participating in a game against Alabama State on October 26 when he got hurt on a kickoff return and had to be stretchered off.
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.
A Jefferson County coroner has since confirmed that Medrick Burnett Jr. indeed passed away on Wednesday evening,” per ESPN.
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“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.
