Alabama A&M’s Medrick Burnett Jr. alive after uni announces his death
US university Alabama A&M has explained just how it came to announcing the death of one of its students who remains alive.
Alabama A&M University is now saying Medrick Burnett Jr., a redshirt freshman linebacker, has not died after releasing a statement earlier Wednesday saying otherwise.
The athletic department retracted its statement on Burnett, the 20-year-old injured in a game against Alabama State earlier this season.
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This revised statement said the initial news from Burnett’s death came “from an immediate family member on Tuesday evening.” It ended up being false.
“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 said. “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.”
Burnett’s GoFundMe page, which was set up by his older sister, Dominece James, issued its own statement Wednesday.
“Please pray he is having a tough time but we are holding on til the very end. God give us strength so we can keep the faith,” the statement said.
The GoFundMe explained earlier that Burnett was dealing with brain bleeds and swelling from head injuries sustained in a game in late October.
“He had to have a tube to drain to relieve 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,” James said on the GoFundMe page.
Burnett played in five games for Alabama A&M this season, registering five total tackles.
This story first appeared on Fox News and was republished with permission.
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