HBCU football player remains hospitalized following injury
Alabama A&M University linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr. remains hospitalized after suffering a severe head injury during a game last month. Burnett was injured during a game against Alabama State University on October 26. His family has since started a GoFundMe account to help cover medical expenses and housing for his family while he recovers.
"He had several brain bleeds and swelling of the brain," Burnett's sister, Dominece, wrote in a post on the page. "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."
Alabama A&M coach Connell Maynor spoke about Burnett's condition during an interview with WSFA, a local news station.
"We've got to send up our prayers. I went back after the game and stayed with him. I picked up his parents up from the airport and stayed with him Sunday for a while before I came back here. Coach Howell and Coach Thornton went down and stayed with him for four hours, so we're doing all we can do and control what we can control. We [have] to understand that the Lord [has] everything under control, and we [have] to do what we can do to just play football and go to school."
The family posted an update Saturday saying that Burnett has had some complications, but the post didn't go into further detail. In just a few days, the family has raised over $17,000 of their $100,000. Burnett, a second-year freshman from Lakewood, California, transferred to Alabama A&M from Grambling State University during the offseason.
During a game against Southern University, Maynor gave Burnett heartwarming tribute by wearing his jersey number 51. Nick P. Kuzma of Fox 54 further reported comments made by Maynor during the game against Southern.
"Senior day we was playing for the seniors and was playing Medrick. His parents [were] here, and we want to try to get this W for him. At the end of the day, we play a game, but his life is on the line, and so that's on our hearts; that's on the players hearts. And unless you got, had somebody in that situation, you don't know what it does to a person. So we just got to keep praying and try to get ready for this week."
