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.