LSU’s Brian Kelly Responds to Claims Made by Greg Brooks Jr.’s Father

Head coach Brian Kelly of the LSU Tigers looks on against the Baylor Bears during the second half in the Kinder's Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on Dec. 31, 2024. Alex Slitz/Getty Images

During his second year at LSU, head football coach Brian Kelly proclaimed his support for former team captain and defensive back Greg Brooks Jr., who had surgery because of a tumor from a rare kind of brain cancer in 2023.

On Monday, Brooks’ father, Greg Brooks Sr., said that Kelly and LSU quit showing support to his son after the surgery, in remarks on Good Morning America.

“Specifically Brian Kelly,” Brooks Sr. told host Michael Strahan. “My son almost lost his life. Coach, where were you? Forget about football. Pick up the phone and say you love the kid, man.”

In addition, the Brooks family filed a lawsuit against LSU and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, accusing them of mishandling Brooks Jr.’s medical treatment. Brooks Jr. is now disabled despite being cancer-free.

“There’s many things I can’t say because it is pending litigation, but here’s what I can tell you: It is factually incorrect to state that I was not there by Greg’s side through this ordeal on multiple occasions,” Kelly told reporters on Wednesday.

“I had somebody from my staff that was there virtually every single day,” Kelly continued. ”We love Greg, we love him for the person that he is, for the competitor that he is and the battler that he is. We only wish him continued progress as he goes through an [incredibly] difficult time.”

When news of Brooks’ condition and surgery came out in 2023, Kelly said via an October 2023 SEC coaches teleconference that there were visits with Brooks. In addition, there were other shows of support from LSU’s helmet stickers and T-shirts to contributions for the Greg Brooks victory fund.

“You can question me as a football coach, you can question me with things we do on the field but off the field, as a parent, a husband, as someone who is actively involved in every community that I’ve been involved with, this is where I draw the line for me,” Kelly said Wednesday.

“That comment struck a nerve with me,” he added, referring to Greg Brooks Sr.’s words. “It hit my heart. I’m in this business for our players, and it rattled me that somebody could possibly be so factually incorrect in stating that I was not a part of Greg Brooks Jr.’s care and support.

“The support was the entire university and entire community. I needed to make sure that record was clear,” Kelly concluded.

A Harvey, Louisiana, native, Greg Brooks Jr. had three successful seasons at Arkansas from 2019 to 2021 before he transferred to LSU with NFL aspirations on his mind. Brooks Jr. played well in 2022 for the Tigers where he had two interceptions, 63 tackles, and a forced fumble.

His progress was curtailed just two games into the 2023 season when his headaches at practice led to the discovery of a brain tumor. Brooks Jr., who has seen his quality of life change drastically from surgery, has a message now for fellow young athletes when it comes to dealing with symptoms and telling their coaches, and beyond, about it.

“I just want young athletes in the same spot I was, if something is hurting, tell them,” Brooks Jr. told Strahan. “And if they don’t do anything about it, go get your second opinion.”

“Because if I would have known that, I wouldn’t be the way I am right now,” Brooks Jr. added.

According to the lawsuit, because of complications with the surgery, Brooks Jr. had to relearn how to eat and communicate again. He told Strahan “I just want to be normal” and “make sure I win” with life going forward.

The Epoch Times reached out to LSU and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center for comment.