Alabama A&M University on Wednesday apologized for mistakenly announcing the death of its football player Medrick Burnett Jr., who was hospitalized after suffering a head injury in a game last month.
In a since-deleted statement posted online this week, the school’s athletics department had said that the 20-year-old was dead, according to multiple media reports. The athletics director, Paul A. Bryant, reportedly said the community was “heartbroken by the loss.”
Alabama A&M Athletics later said that the announcement was a mistake.
“We retract the news of the passing of Medrick Burnette Jr, that was originally advised by an immediate family member on Tuesday evening,” read a Wednesday statement from Alabama A&M Athletics. “Our staff acted accordingly to the wishes of the family member to inform the A&M community and beyond of this unfortunate occurrence.”
The school said it had learned from a hospital representative that Burnett “remains alive.”
“We express our immediate regret for disseminating false information however, we hold complete joy in knowing that Medrick remains in stable condition,” Alabama A&M Athletics said.
A family member told local news station WAFF that the football player was still in the hospital.
“When the time comes, we will issue a statement about what we have been through,” mother Denise Burnett told the outlet.
The linebacker sustained a head injury during an Oct. 26 game against Alabama State.
According to a GoFundMe page set up by his sister, he turned 20 a day later in an intensive care unit.
“He had several brain bleeds and swelling of the brain,” the GoFundMe reads. “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.”
Medrick Burnett Jr., of Lakewood, California, joined Alabama A&M’s team this year. A redshirt freshman, Burnett had started his college football career at Grambling State University in Louisiana.
