Alabama A&M Player Dies After On-Field Injury

On October 26, a college football game between Alabama A&M and Alabama State involved an on-field injury that resulted 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 receiving a head injury in the game.

The announcement followed some conflicting information from official sources about Burnett. Earlier this week, Alabama A&M announced that Burnett had died while hospitalized, then updated that announcement to share that he was in stable condition.

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

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The most recent update from James is especially heartbreaking in light of today’s news. “Please pray he is having a tough time but we are holding on til the very end,” she wrote. “God give us strength so we can keep the faith.”

According to James’s earlier updates, Burnett was treated for “several brain bleeds and swelling of the brain.” She added that he had recently undergone a craniotomy, which she described as “the last resort to help try to save his life.”