HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A former Southern California high school football player with Alabama’s largest historically Black university died on Tuesday after a collision during a game in October that left him hospitalized for a month, according to a statement from the university.
Medrick Burnett Jr., 20, who graduated from Mayfair High School in Lakewood, 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 against in-state rivals Alabama State University on Oct. 26, according to a statement from the university. He was hospitalized until he died Tuesday night. The university did not specify the official cause of death.
Before beginning his college career, Burnett received an honorable mention for the Long Beach Press-Telegram Football Dream Team for the 2022 season.
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“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,” Alabama A&M Director of Athletics Dr. Paul Bryant said in a statement.
Burnett’s condition deteriorated after he arrived at the hospital, where he was treated for “several brain bleeds and swelling of the brain” according to a verified GoFundMe posted by his sister Dominece James.
Burnett transferred to Alabama A&M in 2024 after one season with the Grambling State University football program. He appeared in seven total games throughout the 2024 season, recording a season-best three tackles at Austin Peay State University.