Alabama A&M player dies after sustaining on-field injury

On October 26, an on-field injury occurred during a college football game between Alabama A&M and Alabama State, resulting in tragedy for one of the players involved. On Friday, the Associated Press reported that Alabama A&M linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr., just 20 years old, died this week after suffering a head injury in the game.

The announcement was followed by some conflicting information from official sources about Burnett. Earlier this week, Alabama A&M announced that Burnett had died in the hospital, then updated that announcement to say his condition was stable.

As reporter Drew Taylor wrote, Burnett was seriously injured in the head during a tackle in the Alabama A&M-Alabama State game. Burnett was hospitalized after the attack and in the weeks since, a GoFundMe page run by his sister Dominece James has attempted to raise money to cover his medical costs.

James’ latest update is particularly heartbreaking given today’s news. “Please pray that this is difficult for him, but we will persevere until the end,” she wrote. “God give us strength so that we can keep the faith.”

According to previous updates from James, Burnett was treated for “multiple brain bleeds and brain swelling.” She added that he recently underwent a craniotomy, which she described as a “last resort to save his life.”