Alabama A&M football player Medrick Barnett Jr. is alive despite the school announcing his death.
The school announced the news in a press release Wednesday, but was forced to retract it later that day and retract a statement from athletic director Dr. Paul Bryant.
The confusion came to light after Barnett's family told local media that the school had given them false information. TMZ reported.
Alabama A&M later said in a statement that its initial statement was based on information from “next of kin.”
“We are retracting the news of Medrick Barnett Jr.'s death, which was originally notified by his immediate family Tuesday night,” A&M sports information director Brian Howard said in a statement. “Our staff acted in accordance with the family's wishes to inform the A&M community and beyond of this unfortunate event.
“This afternoon, we heard from a representative from UAB Hospital and learned that he is still alive. We immediately regret spreading false information, but Medrick's condition is stable. I'm really happy to know that.”
Barnett, a linebacker at Alabama A&M, was seriously injured during the Maigue City Classic on Halloween.
He suffered serious head injuries in the collision and was carried off the field on a stretcher.
Barnett appeared in seven games this season and transferred from Grambling State to Alabama A&M.
He celebrated his 20th birthday on October 27th.
Burnett's sister, Domines James, I wrote it on GoFundMe He had suffered “several cerebral hemorrhages and brain swelling,” it said.
In an update to her page Wednesday, she wrote that he was “going through a tough time.”
“But we persevere to the end, and God has given us strength to continue in the faith,” James wrote.
