Medrick Burnett Jr., the 20-year-old Alabama college football player who was hospitalized after a head injury suffered during a game in October, has now died more than a month later.
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE that Burnett — whose school, Alabama A&M University, retracted the false death announcement earlier this week — died on Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 5:43 p.m. local time.
The Corner said Burnett “suffered the injury playing in the Magic City Classic football game” at Legion Field in Birmingham on Oct. 26 at 5:30 p.m. The student-athlete died at a local hospital in Birmingham, and the office noted that “all questions regarding the death should be directed to Alabama A&M University.”
The university did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for additional comment on Friday, Nov. 29.
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As previously reported, Burnett was “severely injured following a head-on collision” during the Magic City Classic game against Alabama State University on Oct. 26 — a day before his 20th birthday, according to a GoFundMe started by his family.
The campaign — set up to raise funds for temporary local housing for the footballer’s parents, who live around 2,000 miles away — has since raised almost $50,000 of its current $100,000 goal, as of Friday, November 29. Burnett was originally from Lakewood, Calif., according to his school’s website, and previously played at Grambling State University in Louisiana.
“He had several brain bleeds and brain swelling,” the fundraiser said. “He had to have a drainage tube to relieve the pressure, and after 2 days of high pressure, we had to decide on a craniotomy, which was the last option to save his life.”
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On Wednesday, Alabama A&M University released news of Burnett’s death, remembering the 20-year-old as “a remarkable young man whose positive energy, leadership and compassion left an indelible mark on all who knew him,” according to local news reports. station WAFF.
However, hours after the post was made, the school deleted it from the athletic department’s website and expressed its “immediate regret.”
“We are retracting the news of the death of Medrick Burnett Jr. that was originally reported by an immediate family member on Tuesday night,” the athletic department said in a statement to PEOPLE. “Our staff acted in accordance with the family member’s wishes to notify the A&M community and beyond of this unfortunate event.”
“After speaking with a UAB Hospital representative this afternoon, we have learned that he is alive. We express our immediate regret for the spread of false information. However, we are completely happy to know that Medrick remains in stable condition,” the department added.
Burnett’s mother, Denise Burnett, told WAFF at the time that the family would “issue a statement about what we’ve been through” when “the time is right”.
The athlete’s older sister, Dominece James, shared in a GoFundMe update on Nov. 27 that he was going through “tough times, but we pulled through until the very end.”
The family has not released any updates since the coroner confirmed Burnett’s death.
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Source: HIS Education