LSU's Brian Kelly -- I've supported Greg Brooks Jr. since surgery - ESPN
Brian Kelly on Wednesday disputed comments made by the father of former LSU safety Greg Brooks Jr., who alleged the Tigers coach abandoned the player after he had surgery to remove a brain tumor in September 2023.
In an interview on «Good Morning America» on Monday, Greg Brooks Sr. said his family hadn't heard from Kelly or anyone on LSU's coaching staff since shortly after the surgery.
«There's many things I can't say because it is pending litigation, 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 on multiple occasions,» Kelly said during a news conference Wednesday. «I 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. We only wish him continued progress as he goes through an [incredibly] difficult time."
In a lawsuit filed in August against LSU and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Brooks Jr. accused the Tigers coaching staff of encouraging him to practice after he showed symptoms in practice that something was wrong. He alleged that team athletic trainers misdiagnosed his condition for weeks and waited too long to send him to a neurological specialist.
Brooks, a team captain who transferred to LSU from Arkansas, played in two games in 2023 before doctors discovered the brain tumor.
The complaint alleges that the surgeon who removed the tumor wasn't qualified to perform the procedure and caused «catastrophic neurological injuries» that left Brooks Jr. permanently disabled. The lawsuit says Brooks Jr. suffered multiple strokes during surgery.
Brooks Jr., 23, can't walk more than