'I'm trying not to be overly emotional': Athletic director responds to Medrick Burnett Jr.'s death

HAVE BEFORE A WARM UP COMING UP IN A FEW MOMENTS. THANKS SO MUCH, JASON. WELL, TONIGHT WE’RE REMEMBERING ALABAMA A&M FOOTBALL PLAYER CEDRIC BURNETT JUNIOR. THE HBCU ATHLETE DIED THIS WEEK AFTER PLAYING IN THE MAGIC CITY CLASSIC LAST MONTH. NOW THE JEFFERSON COUNTY CORONER’S OFFICE SAYS BURNETT DIED AT UAB HOSPITAL WEDNESDAY NIGHT. WVTM 13 S BRYCE OSELEN SPOKE WITH THE FORMER ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, WHO KNEW HIM BEST. YEAH, BEFORE HE PLAYED AT ALABAMA A&M, HE SUITED UP FOR GRAMBLING STATE. HIS FORMER ATHLETIC DIRECTOR SAYS HE WAS A TEAM PLAYER ON AND OFF THE FIELD. I REMEMBER MAGIC, HE WAS ONE OF THE LAST STUDENT ATHLETES THAT WE RECRUITED IN THAT 23 CLASS, AND I REMEMBER HIS PARENTS COMING DOWN AND WE MEETING IN THE WEIGHT ROOM AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY JUST ENCOUNTERING HIM AND HIS HIS SPIRIT AND PERSONALITY OVER THE COURSE OF LAST YEAR, VICE PRESIDENT OF ATHLETICS TREVEON SCOTT SAYS HE RECRUITED BURNETT JUNIOR, ORIGINALLY FROM CALIFORNIA. BURNETT JUNIOR STARTED HIS COLLEGIATE CAREER AT GRAMBLING STATE IN LOUISIANA. SCOTT SAYS HE IS DEVASTATED TO LEARN ABOUT BURNETT JR. S DEATH. HE TELLS ME THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME HE’S LOST A PLAYER. THIS IS THE THIRD SUCH SITUATION FOR ME. YOU KNOW, KIND OF BEING INVOLVED DIRECTLY AND, YOU KNOW, IN A CATASTROPHIC INJURY SPACE WITH JAVON GALES, DEVON GALES RATHER IN BATON ROUGE DURING MY TENURE THERE. AND THEN JO’QUAVIOUS RICHMOND LAST YEAR AT LSU AND NON-MAGIC BURNETT. MAN, IT’S JUST, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH, YOU KNOW, MAGIC IS, YOU KNOW, HAS SUCCUMBED. IT’S JUST IT’S REALLY SAD. ALABAMA A&M COULD NOT BE REACHED FOR A COMMENT AT THIS TIME. SCOTT SAYS GRAMBLING STATE FOOTBALL PLANS T