Brian Kelly Responds to Situation Surrounding Former LSU Football Captain Greg Brooks

Former LSU defensive back Greg Brooks and his family hopped on Good Morning America this week to discuss his health and an ongoing lawsuit against Louisiana State University.

Brooks, a team captain for the LSU Tigers during the 2023 season, underwent emergency brain surgery in September of 2023 to remove a tumor stemming from a rare form of brain cancer known as medulloblastoma.

Fast forward to October of 2024 and Brooks Jr. sued the university and their medical center in a thirteen-page lawsuit for their alleged handling of him within the program.

The procedures done reportedly led to multiple strokes which has left Brooks ‘permanently disabled’ per the suit. He is now in daily occupational therapy to relearn how to speak, write, and eat.

During the interview, Brooks' father claimed the family has not heard from head coach Brian Kelly and the LSU program.

“My son almost lost his life, coach. Where were you?” Brooks Sr. said. “Forget about football. Pick up the phone and say you love the kid, man.”

Brooks Jr. chimed in on the "nightmare" situation.

“Honestly, I thought it was fake,” Brooks Jr. said. “Like, I was in disbelief…Like a nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from.”

“The one call that I received was, ‘I need you to get here. Your son is having emergency surgery’ tomorrow morning,” said Brooks Sr.. “He’s at LSU, one of the best colleges in the United States. Would I have ever thought that his best interests wouldn’t be at heart? No.”

Now, Kelly has taken the time to respond during his Wednesday press conference:

Brian Kelly's Statement Surrounding Greg Brooks:

"There's many things I can't say because it is pending litigation, obviously. 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. I was there on multiple occasions.

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

"But it was important for me to set the record clear as to my care, my love for Greg Jr. during this very difficult time. Again, I want to be clear that any player that is part of this program, I am going to be involved in making sure that they receive the best care, the best support, and I'm part of that. So, that was extremely important for me to talk about.

"You can question me as a football coach. You can question me in terms of the things that we do on the field. But off the field, as a parent, as a husband, as somebody that is actively involved in every community that I've been involved with, this is where the line is drawn with me.

"That comment struck a nerve with me. It hit my heart. Because that's not why l'm in this business. I've been in it for players, will always be in it for our players. It rattled me that somebody could possibly be so factually incorrect in stating that I was not part of Greg Brooks Jr.'s care and support.

"The support was the entire university, the entire community. I needed to make sure that that record was clear."

Kelly took the time to provide a three-minute statement on Brooks, his love for his former team captain and the time the staff took to be there for his family.