One day after LSU head football coach Brian Kelly denied accusations that he was not by the side of former Tigers safety Greg Brooks, Jr., after Brooks underwent brain tumor surgery, Brook's attorney is firing another salvo in the war of words.
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. Although Kelly refuses to comment on the lawsuit because it's pending litigation, he defended himself against allegations Brooks and his family made on ABC's Good Morning America that he was not stayed away from Brooks following the surgery.
“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.
Now, Brooks's attorneys is responding to Kelly's claim. In a joint statement, Jeffrey S. Rosenblum and Kara Samuels said it was "difficult" for Brooks to listen to Kelly "say he was by his side through this ordeal" and accuse Brooks's father of "making a false statement."
" . . . [T]he reality is that Coach Kelly has not contacted Greg Jr. in over 16 months," that statement said. "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."
The attorneys noted that Kelly told the media last March that Brooks was walking, a statement they say Kelly knew was factually inaccurate.
"Coach Kelly would have known that had he simply picked up the phone and called," the attorneys' statement said. "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."
