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20-year-old college football player dies from head injuries sustained during game
By Scott Thompson
Published November 27, 2024
Alabama A&M University football player Medrick Burnett Jr. died after sustaining a serious head injury in a game, the school announced.
Burnett was 20 years old.
The news was announced by Alabama A&M athletic director Paul A. Bryant, who said Burnett died Tuesday.
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A goalpost before a game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the North Carolina Tar Heels Nov. 4, 2006, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
"Medrick was more than an exceptional athlete; he was a remarkable young man whose positive energy, leadership and compassion left an indelible mark on everyone who knew him," Bryant said in a statement, according to TMZ Sports.
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"While words cannot adequately express our grief, we are humbled by the strength of his family, who stood by his side throughout this unimaginable ordeal."
Burnett, a redshirt freshman who transferred from Grambling State this season, sustained a severe head injury in a collision during the team’s game against Alabama State in October.
An end zone corner pylon before the Gasparilla Bowl between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the UCF Knights at Raymond James Stadium. (Jasen Vinlove/USA Today Sports)
Dominece James, Burnett’s sister, had a GoFundMe established for her younger brother, explaining he had brain bleeds and swelling from the injury.
"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," James said on the GoFundMe page.
Burnett was a 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker who grew up in Lakewood, California.
A Mississippi State Bulldogs football during a game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Missouri Tigers Nov. 23, 2024, at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss. (Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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He played in five games this season, registering five tackles.
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