A college football athlete has tragically passed away a month following a head-to-head incident during a game.
Medrick Burnett Jr was competing for Alabama A&M University against Alabama State University on October 26 – just one day before his birthday – when the severe injury transpired.
His sister mentioned on his GoFundMe page that the 20-year-old linebacker sustained “multiple brain bleeds and cerebral swelling” as a result of the collision that took place in Birmingham, a city in the southeastern region of the United States.
In a “final effort” to preserve his life, Dominece James shared that he underwent a craniotomy – a surgical procedure involving the removal of a portion of the skull to access the brain.
The athletic department of Alabama A&M reported his passing on Wednesday, but later issued a correction, stating that the information had been relayed through “an immediate family member”.
The coroner of Jefferson County verified on Friday that Burnett Jr had succumbed on Wednesday evening.
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The freshman hailed from Lakewood, California, and joined Alabama A&M last summer after beginning his collegiate journey at Grambling State University in Louisiana.
