Alabama A&M releases statement on decision to retract announcement of Medrick Burnett Jr.'s death

Alabama A&M has released a statement after retracting its announcement of Medrick Burnett Jr.’s death. The school initially announced his passing Wednesday morning, but his family said he’s still hospitalized.

Burnett was injured during a head-on collision during a game in October. Despite the announcement of his death, his family said he’s still on life support in the hospital. The university retracted its statement shortly thereafter.

“We retract the news of the passing of Medrick Burnett Jr. that was originally advised by an immediate family member on Tuesday evening,” the statement read. “Our staff acted accordingly to the wishes of the family member to inform the A&M community and beyond of joy in knowing that Medrick remains in stable condition.”

Alabama A&M’s statement and retraction of their earlier announcement that AAMU football player Medrick Burnett Jr. had passed away: pic.twitter.com/JAlfe6jkYH

— Nick Kuzma (@NickPKuzma) November 27, 2024

Burnett’s mother, Denise, said the family would comment at a later time. She provided a brief statement to WSFA-TV.

“When the time comes, we will issue a statement about what we have been through.” Denise Burnett said, via WSFA-TV.

Burnett’s sister, Dominece James, organized a GoFundMe at the time of the injury. It had raised more than $31,800 at the time of publication.

“My name is Dominece and my only baby brother Medrick Burnett Jr., AKA ‘Meddy,’ who plays college football for Alabama AAMU #51, was playing in the Magic City game on October 26, 2024, and was severely injured after a head-on-head collision during the game,” the page read. “His 20th birthday was October 27th and one of the worst birthdays for us because he was in ICU and not doing well.

“He had several brain bleeds and swelling of the brain. 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.”

Burnett started his college career at Grambling State before transferring to Alabama A&M this season. In six games with the Bulldogs, he had five total tackles prior to his injury in a game against Alabama State.

During his time at Grambling, Burnett appeared in five games in 2023. He had five tackles and a fumble recovery before entering the transfer portal and making his way to Alabama A&M as a redshirt freshman this year.