Alabama A&M football player dies a month after in-game head injury

Birmingham, Alabama (AP) — An Alabama A&M football player who suffered a head injury during a game in October has died, officials said.

Medrick Burnett Jr., 20, was playing his first season as a linebacker with Alabama A&M University when he sustained a head injury during the annual Magic City Classic in Birmingham against in-state rivals Alabama State University on October 26, the Jefferson County coroner said in a statement Friday.

The coroner listed his official time of death as late Wednesday afternoon.

The Alabama A&M athletic department announced Burnett’s death on Wednesday morning and then sent out a retraction later that day. The second statement said the initial news of Burnett’s death came “from an immediate family member on Tuesday evening.”

The redshirt freshman from Lakewood, California, joined Alabama A&M’s team over the summer after starting his college career at Grambling State, according to the athletics department.

A spokesperson for the athletic department could not be reached by phone on Friday.

Burnett played in seven games and made five tackles, including three against Austin Peay.

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