College Football Player Dies 1 Month After Head Injury

College football linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr. died after suffering a head injury during a match in October.

According to a statement from the coroner’s office in Jefferson County, Alabama ESPN reported Friday The 20-year-old Alabama A&M athlete died Wednesday evening, just hours after his team posted and later retracted an announcement of his death.

The Alabama A&M athletic department apologized for the error, calling the premature announcement an “unfortunate event” in an apology Wednesday afternoon.

In its statement, the university said it was “originally advised” that Burnett was “passed away by an immediate family member” on Tuesday evening.

“We immediately regret spreading false information, but are completely happy to know that Medrick remains in stable condition,” the note said.

Burnett was seriously injured after a head-on collision during an Oct. 26 game between Alabama A&M and Alabama State University.

After Wednesday morning’s mistake, Burnett’s mother, Denise Burnett, told WAFF-TV in Huntsville, Alabama, that her son was still alive, but remained in the hospital.

“When the time comes, we will make a statement about what we experienced,” she said.

A separate statement from the family on a GoFundMe page said for the athlete: “Please pray that he is struggling, but we will persevere until the end. God, give us strength that we may keep the faith.”

At the time of his injury, Burnett, a native of Lakewood, California, was in his freshman season with the Alabama A&M Bulldogs.

He had played seven games with the team after transferring from Louisiana’s Grambling State University.