Alabama A&M Player Dies After Injury at Game Last Month

An American football helmet sits next to a football before the start of a game. Rob Carr/Getty Images

Alabama A&M University football player Medrick “Meddy” Burnett Jr., 20, has died following complications from a severe head injury suffered during a game last month, Jefferson County, Alabama, Coroner Matt Angelo said in a statement on Friday.

Burnett, a redshirt freshman linebacker from Lakewood, California, was injured during the annual Magic City Classic against in-state rival Alabama State University on Oct. 26. The game took a tragic turn when Burnett was involved in a head-on tackle on the field, leading to multiple brain bleeds and swelling.

The Jefferson County coroner reported Burnett’s official time of death as Wednesday evening. He had undergone weeks of intensive medical care, including a craniotomy performed as a last resort to relieve pressure on his brain.

The Alabama A&M athletic department initially announced Burnett’s death on Wednesday morning but retracted the statement later that day.

“Our staff acted accordingly to the wishes of the family member to inform the A&M community and beyond of this unfortunate occurrence,” the university said in its retraction. “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.”

Despite the confusion, the coroner’s statement indicates that Burnett passed away after the university’s retraction. The Epoch Times’ efforts to reach a spokesperson for the athletic department on Friday morning were unsuccessful.

Burnett’s family has been by his side throughout his hospitalization and updating supporters through a GoFundMe campaign organized to support medical and travel expenses for the family.

“He needs and is going to need a lot of care, and all of his family live out of state from where he is located, and they also need to be able to have housing to be there to support and help him in this journey,” his sister, Dominece, wrote on GoFundMe. “We do not know what lies ahead yet, but we need all the prayers, support, resources, and donations to help him and his family keep giving him a fighting chance to survive.”

Burnett joined Alabama A&M’s football program over the summer after beginning his college career at Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana.

Wearing jersey number 51, he played in seven games for the Bulldogs this season and recorded five tackles, including three against Austin Peay State University.

The Mayfair High School football team posted a statement on X on Friday confirming the passing of their former teammate and asking the community to keep Burnett’s family in their prayers.

Neither a spokesperson for the university nor the Medical Examiner’s Office responded to The Epoch Times’ request for comment on Friday. 29.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.