[SOLVED] How to add a JSON column in MySQL with Rails 5 Migration

I'm trying to add a json column in MySQL db by running:

class AddStatisticsToPlayerStatistic < ActiveRecord::Migration[5.0]
    def change
       add_column :player_statistics, :statistics, :json
    end
end

But I'm getting this error when I try to run rake db:migrate

Mysql2::Error: You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'json' at line 1: ALTER TABLE `player_statistics` ADD `statistics` json

Does anyone know how to add a JSON column in MySQL Ver 14.14 Distrib 5.5.53. properly?

Thanks in advance!