Alabama A&M linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr. dies of head injury

An Alabama A&M linebacker who suffered a head injury during a football game in October died Wednesday evening, a Jefferson County, Alabama, deputy coroner confirmed Friday.

According to the Associated Press, Medrick Burnett Jr., a 20-year-old redshirt freshman at Alabama A&M, suffered a head injury in the Magic City Classic on Oct. 26 against rival Alabama State. Jefferson County Deputy Coroner AJ Clifton declined to provide further details but said a news release was planned for Saturday.

A representative from Alabama A&M’s athletic department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

Alabama A&M announced that Burnett died Wednesday morning, but retracted his statement hours later after learning he was still alive. The school said it “originally received advice from an immediate family member on Tuesday evening” before hearing from a UAB Hospital representative.

Athletics statement

We are retracting the news of Medrick Burnette Jr.’s death, originally shared by an immediate family member on Tuesday evening. Our staff acted on the family member’s wishes to inform the A&M community and beyond

— Alabama A&M Athletics (@_AAMUAthletics) November 27, 2024

“We express our immediate regret for the spread of false information,” Alabama A&M said in its second statement Wednesday.

Burnett, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound redshirt freshman from Lakewood, Calif., transferred to Alabama A&M from Grambling State. He played in seven games this season, totaling five tackles.

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