LSU football coach Brian Kelly strongly denies the accusation he was not there for former Tigers safety Greg Brooks Junior following his brain surgery.
According to Brooks’ family, the surgery to remove a tumor, resulted in multiple seizures that left him permanently disabled. In an interview on ABC’s Good Morning America, Brooks’ father says no one from LSU’s coaching staff has reached out since October 2023, right after the surgery.
“Brian Kelly, my son almost lost his life, coach. Where were you?…”Pick up the phone, you love the kid,” Brooks Sr said.
However, Kelly says he does love Greg Brooks Junior, and it is factually incorrect to say he was not there by Greg’s side through this difficult ordeal.
“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,” Kelly said.
The Brooks family is suing LSU and Our Lady of the Lake Hospital, because they believe the school and the neurosurgeon mishandled his diagnosis and the surgery.
Kelly will not comment on the lawsuit, because its pending litigation. But Kelly the accusation he was not there for Brooks following the surgery is not true and he wanted to set the record straight
“You can question me as a football coach,” Kelly said. “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.”
The Good Morning America interview conducted by former NFL football player Michael Strahan aired on Monday. It was the first appearance of Brooks Junior since his surgery and much of the report was on the lawsuit filed by his family. But said the comment that he’s not been there for Brooks Junior struck a nerve with him and hit his heart.
“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,” Kelly said.
On Thursday afternoon, the attorney for Brooks’ Junior released this statement:
“It was difficult for Greg Brooks Jr. to listen to LSU Coach Brian Kelly say he was by his side through this ordeal and then accuse his father of making a false statement when the reality is that Coach Kelly has not contacted Greg Jr. in over 16 months. Neither Coach Kelly nor LSU has denied what Greg’s father said during the GMA interview: that Greg has not heard from Coach Kelly since October 2023, long before the lawsuit was filed. LSU and Coach Kelly cannot deny this because it is true. Ironically, it was Coach Kelly who made factually inaccurate statements in March of 2024 when he told the media that Greg was walking, which obviously was not true. Coach Kelly would have known that had he simply picked up the phone and called. Greg Jr. looks forward to having his day in court, where the truth will come to light, and in the meantime, he will be focusing on his health and recovery.”
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