Officials at Alabama A&M on Wednesday night apologized for erroneously announcing the death of football player Medrick Burnett Jr.
In what it called an "unfortunate occurrence," the school said in a since-deleted announcement online that the 20-year-old athlete had died after it was "originally advised by an immediate family member on Tuesday evening," the HBCU's athletic department said.
"Upon hearing from a representative from UAB hospital this afternoon, we learned that he remains alive," the athletic department said Wednesday evening. "We express our immediate regret for disseminating false information however, we hold complete joy in knowing that Medrick remains in stable condition.
Burnett was seriously injured during a game last month.
In an online fundraiser, his family said Burnett had several brain bleeds and swelling. "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," the family said on the GoFundMe drive.
His family told NBC News affiliate WAFF that the athlete remains in the hospital.
“When the time comes, we will issue a statement about what we have been through.” Burnett Jr’s mother, Denise Burnett told the station.
Burnett's family could not immediately be reached for comment by NBC News.
The redshirt freshman linebacker was hurt Oct. 26 when the Bulldogs took on rival Alabama State in an annual gridiron contest known as the Magic City Classic, pitting that state's biggest and most well-known HBCUs against each other.
Burnett has played in seven games this season after transferring to Alabama A&M from Grambling. Burnett's best game came on Sept. 21 when he recorded three tackles at Austin Peay.
Alabama A&M, which is 6-5 overall and 4-3 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) action, has one more game this season, on Friday afternoon against Florida A&M in Tallahassee.
