Alabama A&M Football Player Dead at 20 From Injury, 2 Days After College Prematurely Announced His Death

A college football star has met a tragic fate.

Weeks after sustaining a head injury during a football game, Alabama A&M Bulldogs player Medrick Burnett Jr. was pronounced dead Nov. 27, Jefferson County deputy coroner AJ Clifton confirmed to NBC News Nov. 29. Clifton did not elaborate on the linebacker’s cause of death, according to the outlet.

The 20-year-old athlete sustained a head injury Oct. 26 during a football game against Alabama State University in the Magic City Classic, NBC News reported.

“He had several brain bleeds and swelling of the brain,” Burnett’s sister Dominece James explained on a GoFundMe page created to support his recovery. “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.”

Two days before Burnett’s passing was confirmed, the university mistakenly released a statement on their website saying he had died, citing an “immediate family member” who had informed the faculty of his death.