College football player Medrick Burnett Jr. dead after head injury

Medrick Burnett Jr., a 20-year-old college football player from Alabama who was hospitalized after a head injury sustained during a game in October, has now died more than a month later.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE that Burnett — whose school, Alabama A&M University, previously withdrew a false death notice earlier this week — died on Wednesday, November 27, at 5:43 p.m. local time.

The corner said Burnett “suffered an injury while playing in the Magic City Classic football game” at Legion Field in Birmingham at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 26. All questions regarding the death should be directed to Alabama A&M University.”

The university did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further comment on Friday, November 29.

As previously reported, Burnett was “seriously injured after a head-on collision” during the Magic City Classic game against Alabama State University on Oct. 26 – the day before his 20th birthday – according to a GoFundMe set up by his family .

The campaign, created to raise funds for temporary local housing for the football player’s parents, who live about 2,000 miles away, has raised nearly $50,000 of its current $100,000 goal as of Friday, November 29 -Dollars collected. Burnett was originally from Lakewood, California, according to his school’s website, and previously played at Grambling State University in Louisiana.

“He had multiple brain bleeds and brain swelling,” the fundraiser said. “He had to be drained through a tube to relieve the pressure and after two days of heavy pressure we had to opt for a craniotomy, which was a last resort to try and save his life.”

On Wednesday, Alabama A&M University issued an obituary for Burnett, remembering the 20-year-old as “a remarkable young man whose positive energy, leadership and compassion left an indelible impression on everyone who knew him.” says the local news station WAFF.

However, hours after the announcement was made public, the school deleted it from the athletic department’s website and expressed its “immediate regret.”

“We are retracting the news of the death of Medrick Burnett Jr., which was originally shared by an immediate family member on Tuesday evening,” the athletics department said in a statement to PEOPLE. “Our staff honored the family member’s wishes to inform the A&M community and beyond of this unfortunate incident.”

“When we heard from a UAB Hospital representative this afternoon, we learned he was still alive. We express our immediate regret for the spread of false information. However, we are completely pleased that Medrick remains in a stable condition,” the department added.

Burnett’s mother, Denise Burnett, told WAFF at the time that the family would “make a statement about what we’ve been through” when “the time comes.”

The athlete’s older sister, Dominece James, shared in a GoFundMe update on Nov. 27 that he was “going through a tough time, but we’re hanging in there until the end.”

The family has not released an update since the coroner confirmed Burnett’s death.