Officials at Alabama A&M apologized Wednesday evening for falsely announcing the death of football player Medrick Burnett Jr.
In what it called an “unfortunate event,” the school said in a now-deleted online announcement that the 20-year-old athlete had died after being “originally notified by an immediate family member on Tuesday evening,” the HBCU athletic department. said.
“After hearing from a UAB Hospital representative this afternoon, we learned that he is still alive,” the athletic department said Wednesday evening. “We immediately regret spreading false information, but we are completely happy to know that Medrick remains in stable condition.
Burnett was seriously injured during a match last month.
In an online fundraiser, his family said Burnett suffered several brain bleeds and swelling. “He had to have a tube drained to relieve the pressure, and after two days of intense pressure we had to opt for a craniotomy, which was the last resort to save his life,” the family said on GoFundMe. driving force.
His family told NBC News affiliate WAFF that the athlete remains hospitalized.
“When the time comes, we will make a statement about what we experienced.” Burnett Jr.’s mother, Denise Burnett, told the station.
Burnett’s family could not immediately be reached for comment by NBC News.
The redshirt freshman linebacker was injured Oct. 26 when the Bulldogs took on rival Alabama State in an annual gridiron game known as the Magic City Classic, pitting that state’s largest and best-known HBCUs against each other.
Burnett played in seven games this season after transferring to Alabama A&M from Grambling. Burnett’s best game came on September 21 when he recorded three tackles at Austin Peay.
Alabama A&M, which is 6-5 overall and 4-3 in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) action, has one more game this season, on Friday afternoon against Florida A&M in Tallahassee.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
