College football player injured in game alive at hospital, despite death reports

Alabama A&M linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr., whose decease a period aft a collision mid-game was reported Wednesday, is actually inactive live and successful unchangeable condition astatine a hospital, schoolhouse officials said.

Burnett was injured erstwhile helium and different subordinate crashed head-on during the Oct. 26 Magic City Classic against rival Alabama State — the time earlier his 20th birthday. News of his expected decease Wednesday dispersed rapidly aft Alabama A&M University’s diversion section posted an announcement. Hours later, however, the schoolhouse retracted that statement, saying “an contiguous household member” had told them helium had died.

“Our unit acted accordingly to the wishes of the household subordinate to pass the A&M assemblage and beyond of this unfortunate occurrence,” A&M said. “Upon proceeding from a typical from UAB infirmary this afternoon, we learned that helium remains alive. We explicit our contiguous regret for disseminating mendacious information, nevertheless we clasp implicit joyousness successful knowing that Medrick remains successful unchangeable condition.”

TMZ archetypal reported the redshirt subordinate was inactive fighting for his life successful the hospital. The household confirmed arsenic overmuch successful an online backing thrust to rise wealth for far-flung household members, including his parents, to enactment adjacent the hospital.

“He had respective encephalon bleeds and swelling of the brain,” his sister, who organized the backing drive, said successful a post. “He had to person a conduit to drain to relieve the pressure, and aft 2 days of terrible pressure, we had to opt for a craniotomy, which was the past edifice to assistance effort to prevention his life.”

The thrust had raised astir $33,000 of a $100,000 extremity by Wednesday evening. The household did not remark publically astir the erroneous report.

“When the clip comes, we volition contented a connection astir what we person been through,” the player’s mother, Denise Burnett, told WAFF-TV.

Burnett, a freshman from Lakewood, Calif., joined the Alabama A&M squad implicit the summertime aft transferring from Grambling State. Three of the 5 tackles helium made during 7 games were against Austin Peay State University.

With News Wire Services

Originally Published: November 27, 2024 astatine 9:08 PM EST