College football player Medrick Burnett Jr. is still alive, despite his university releasing a statement stating he had died.
The Alabama A&M student athlete is on life support following injuries he sustained in an October football game against Alabama State University, his family told NBC affiliate WAFF.
However, Alabama A&M athletics director Dr. Paul A. Bryant said in a now-deleted Nov. 27 statement that Burnett had died.
“Today, our Bulldog family is heartbroken by the loss of Medrick Burnett Jr.,” the statement shared to the university’s website read, according to WAFF. “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.”
Emphasizing the school’s “deepest condolences,” Bryant continued, “While words cannot adequately express our grief, we are humbled by the strength of his family, who stood by his side throughout this unimaginable ordeal.”
