Alabama A&M University is mourning a 20-year-old linebacker, Medrick Burnett Jr., who died on November 27, 2024, after severe head injuries he incurred in a football game. The tragic death of Burnett has etched a profound memory in the minds of his family, colleagues, and society in general, since he was a warm, gifted young man with so many hopes for life.
The sad chain of events occurred on October 26, 2024, at the Magic City Classic against rival Alabama State University. Burnett, a redshirt freshman from Lakewood, California, faced a terrible head-on collision in the field of play-one day before his 21st birthday. He immediately went into multiple bleeds in the brain, together with severe swelling that required immediate surgery. Medical personnel did perform a craniotomy, wherein part of the skull covering the brain is removed in order to relieve pressure in the skull, but still he was considered to be in critical condition.
Burnett was taken to UAB Hospital in Birmingham, where he battled for nearly five weeks. He was injured too severely to recover despite efforts from medical personnel to save his life. Alabama A&M announced his death prematurely on Nov. 26 after hearing about it from a family member. The University later took back the statement after it found out that he was still alive hours later.
Burnett was declared dead on the evening of November 27 at about 5:43 PM. The Jefferson County Coroner confirmed this sad occurrence, bringing to a closure that sad chapter in all those who were holding onto hope for his recovery.
Burnett’s death sent shockwaves throughout the Alabama A&M community. In a statement, the university called him a bright light of positive energy, leadership, and compassion, saying he had a lasting impact on teammates and coaches alike.
Burnett’s sister, Dominece James, has been keeping supporters updated through a GoFundMe page the family established to help cover costs throughout his hospitalization. She has been frank and straightforward with the severity of his medical conditions, even to the point of detailing the extreme measures to keep him alive. “He had several brain bleeds and swelling,” she wrote, “but he kept fighting.
While Burnett was in the hospital, the community came out to support his family through a GoFundMe that raised almost $50,000 to help with his ever-growing medical expenses and put his parents up in a temporary house so they could stay with him through the fight.
The journey from Lakewood, California, through Alabama A&M University told all about his determination and his talent in the process. After initially playing a season of college football at Grambling State University, Burnett transferred and quickly gained his peers at Alabama A&M. To Burnett’s teammates and coaches, he was a striving athlete with a kind heart and love for the game.
