Donations have surged for Medrick Burnett Jr., a college football player hospitalized after complications from a head injury. His university, Alabama A&M, erroneously reported that Burnett, 20, had passed away on Tuesday evening, one month after sustaining the injury during a game, according to Daily Mail.
“Today, our Bulldog family is heartbroken by the loss of Medrick Burnett Jr.,” Alabama A&M Director of Athletics Dr. Paul A. Bryant said via news release.
“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.
“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.”
TMZ Sports has reported that Burnett Jr. is still fighting for his life, contrary to an erroneous announcement by Alabama A&M claiming his death.
Burnett’s family confirmed to local outlets that he has not passed away, leading the university to quickly retract its initial statement. The false report has nonetheless spurred a surge in donations for the injured football player.
“We retract the news of the passing of Medrick Burnette Jr, that was originally advised by an immediate family member on Tuesday evening,” Alabama A&M was quoted as saying in a new statement. “Our staff acted accordingly to the wishes of the family member to inform the A&M community and beyond of this unfortunate occurrence.”
Despite a false announcement by Alabama A&M regarding Burnett Jr.’s death, donations to his GoFundMe page have surged. The campaign, which aims to raise $100,000, has collected $47,393 so far.
Posting on the site, his sister Dominece wrote: “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.
“He needs and is going to need a lot of care, and all of his family live out of state from where he is located, and they also need to be able to have housing to be there to support and help him in this journey. We do not know what lies ahead yet, but we need all the prayers, support, resources, and donations to help him and his family keep giving him a fighting chance to survive.
“The donations sent will be used for his parents to be by his side due to them living over 2000 miles away from where he is hospitalized. The money will go for them to have temporary housing 900 a week, hospital fees (parking is $100 a week etc), and whatever may arise during this long journey (rental car fees a week estimated$350 ), gas to get amount etc). His mom (she has not been able to work since this injuries occurred) will have access to the funds directly to take care of all the things that is needed during this time.
“Thank you for all your support, care, donations, prayers, resources, and more it is truly appreciated.”
Burnett Jr., a redshirt freshman at Alabama A&M, is in critical condition after suffering a head injury while defending a kickoff in the Magic City Classic against Alabama State on October 26.
Burnett, originally from Lakewood, California, and a graduate of Mayfair High School, previously played for Grambling State.
