Brian Kelly responds to Greg Brooks allegations, pending litigation

One day after the family of former LSU defensive back Greg Brooks Jr. spoke out about how their loved one was treated by coach Brian Kelly and the LSU staff in the wake of a cancer diagnosis, the Tigers head coach has spoken out.

Kelly called the claims that neither he nor his staff had contacted Brooks since October 2023 inaccurate.

“There’s many things I can’t say because it is pending litigation, obviously,” Kelly said in a statement provided by The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander. “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. 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 can only wish him continued progress as he goes through an incredibly difficult time.”

The LSU head coach went on to state that he felt the need to clear up a few things on the topic.

“It was important for me to set the record clear as to my care, my love for Greg Jr. during this very difficult time,” Kelly said. “Again, I want to be clear that 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. So, that was extremely important for me to talk about.”

He wasn’t finished there, noting that he was personally hurt by the allegations about a lack of support and care for Greg Brooks Jr.

“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.

“That comment struck a nerve with me. It hit my heart. Because that’s not why I’m in this business. I’ve been in it for our players, will always be in it for our players. 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. The support was the entire university, the entire community. I needed to make sure that record was clear.”

Greg Brooks Jr. underwent an emergency surgery back in September of 2023 to remove a tumor stemming from a rare form of brain cancer known as medulloblastoma.

A year later, though, in October of 2024, Brooks Jr. sued the school and their medical center in a thirteen-page lawsuit for their alleged handling of him within the program and with these procedures, which reportedly led to multiple strokes, as they left him ‘permanently disabled’ per the suit. Because of that, he is now in daily occupational therapy to relearn how to speak, write, and eat.

“Honestly, I thought it was fake,” Brooks Jr. said. “Like, I was in disbelief…Like a nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from.”

Both LSU and Our Lady of the Lake released statements at the time of the lawsuit’s filing. Kelly also commented on the matter at the time as well.

Brooks Jr. appeared in 50 games as a college football player, with 45 starts, over three seasons at Arkansas and two at LSU. In that time, he totaled 186 tackles, 19 deflections, six interceptions with one pick-six, a sack, and a forced fumble.

On3’s Sam Gillenwater also contributed to this report.