Update:
Statement provided to Awful Announcing on behalf of former LSU player Greg Brooks Jr.’s attorneys: https://t.co/xENg2uwXoI pic.twitter.com/aaNKb5zKtt
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 6, 2025
The original article continues below:
There’s not a lot of love lost between Brian Kelly and the national media. But this time, the LSU Tigers head coach isn’t responding to reports about him or his team. Instead, he’s focusing on the conversation happening about him on a national stage.
Greg Brooks Sr. and his son, Brooks Jr., appeared on Good Morning America to talk about their ongoing legal battle with Louisiana State University. In the interview, Brooks Sr. addressed Kelly directly, revealing that neither he nor his son had heard from anyone on the Tigers’ coaching staff since October 2023.
“My son almost lost his life, coach. Where were you?” Brooks Sr. said, as covered by On3. “Forget about football. Pick up the phone and say you love the kid, man.”
In September 2023, Brooks Jr. underwent emergency surgery to remove a tumor caused by a rare brain cancer, medulloblastoma. But things didn’t end there. In October 2024, Brooks Jr. filed a lawsuit against LSU and its medical center, alleging mishandling of his medical care, which, according to the suit, led to multiple strokes and left him permanently disabled.
He now faces daily occupational therapy to relearn basic skills like speaking, writing, and eating.
While the case is pending litigation and Kelly has a lot of love for Brooks Jr., he attempted to set the record straight on the side of the story he feels isn’t being told.
Brian Kelly opened his press conference by addressing his “love” for Greg Brooks Jr. + the accusations made in a national TV interview.
Kelly went into detail on his time w/ Greg after he was hospitalized + said the staff and LSU community has been behind Greg from the start. pic.twitter.com/4KlLB37zdu
— Shea Dixon (@Sheadixon) February 5, 2025
“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,” Kelly stated. “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 we can only wish him continued progress as he goes through an incredibly difficult time.”
But it was important for Kelly to set the record “clear.”
He wanted to share what happened regarding his care and his love for Greg Jr.
“And again, I want to be clear that any player that is part of this program, I am going to be involved in making sure they receive the best care, the best support — and I’m part of that,” Kelly says. “That was just extremely important for me to talk about. Look, you can question me as a football coach; you can question me in terms of the things 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 for me.
“And that comment struck a nerve with me; it hit my heart. Because that’s not why I’m in this business. I’ve been it for our players. I will always be in it for our players. And, it rattled me that somebody could be so factually incorrect in stating that I was not part of Greg Brooks Jr.’s care and support. And the support was the entire university and the entire community. So, I needed to make sure that record was clear.”
Kelly reiterated that his involvement in Greg Brooks Jr.’s care and support, along with the backing of the LSU community, has been unwavering since the player’s medical crisis began.
And he made it increasingly clear that any claims to the contrary are factually incorrect and misrepresent the reality of the situation.
