In what Alabama A&M called an “unfortunate occurrence,” school officials issued an apology on Wednesday for erroneously announcing the death of football player Medrick Burnett Jr. earlier in the day.
The school’s athletic department, which has since deleted an announcement regarding Burnett’s death, said an immediate family member on Tuesday had informed the school that the 20-year-old linebacker had died that evening, a month after suffering a head injury in a game.
“Upon hearing from a representative from UAB hospital this afternoon, we learned that he remains alive,” the athletic department said Wednesday evening. “We express our immediate regret for disseminating false information however, we hold complete joy in knowing that Medrick remains in stable condition.”
According to a GoFundMe page from his sister, Dominece James, Burnett was injured in a head-to-head collision in a 27-19 loss against Alabama State in the Magic City Classic at Birmingham on Oct 26. James said her brother had severe brain swelling and bleeding.
WAFF-TV in Huntsville, Ala., displayed a video of the play in which he was hurt, though it is unclear exactly how he was injured so severely.
The footage also showed Burnett being taken off the field on a stretcher. Burnett gave a thumbs-up to the crowd while being wheeled off.
According to the station, Burnett’s condition worsened days after the game.
Burnett, a redshirt freshman from Lakewood, Calif., had five tackles in seven games this season after transferring from Grambling State.
Alabama A&M (6-5) is scheduled to play at Florida A&M on Friday.
–Field Level Media
