Parents of high-profile recruits react to Brian Kelly allegations, Greg Brooks lawsuit

Parents of two top 100 recruits in the 2025 class are calling out LSU coach Brian Kelly in the midst of allegations of mistreatment from former defensive back Greg Brooks Jr. Brooks filed a lawsuit against the school in October claiming, among other things, that the staff failed to properly diagnose a brain tumor, leading to him being “permanently disabled.”

Brooks’ father added fuel to the flames with an appearance on Good Morning America on Monday in which he sent a message directly to Kelly, saying, “My son almost lost his life, coach. Where were you?”

Those comments from Greg Brooks Sr. prompted the mother of five-star cornerback Devin Sanchez to weigh in on social media with her own experience with Kelly. Sanchez ultimately committed to Ohio State, but was recruited by LSU and the family had interactions with the coaching staff.

“Listen..oooweee..I met Coach Kelly and this is one coach that shows you who he is when you meet him..believe him!!” Sanchez’s mom wrote. “I am sorry for what your son is going through and I pray he gets out of that chair and runs again..Praying for him”

Listen..oooweee..I met Coach Kelly and this is one coach that shows you who he is when you meet him..believe him!! I am sorry for what your son is going through and I pray he gets out of that chair and runs again..Praying for him🙏🏾

— 𝓜𝓻𝓼 𝓓𝓮𝓮 𝓢𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓱𝓮𝔃 (@mrsdee_chez5) February 5, 2025

She wasn’t the only parent who chimed in on the matter, however. Both the mother and father of four-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn, who is also committed to Ohio State, also posted comments under a clip of the quote from Greg Brooks Sr.

“And this is why we didn’t even visit,” wrote Pettijohn’s father, former Syracuse defensive lineman Duke Pettijohn.

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. His father claimed in the interview that the family has not heard from Brian Kelly since October of that same year.

The family is still in a difficult spot more than a year after the surgery, as Brooks Jr. still has not been able to walk yet. Kelly released his own statement on the matter, denying the allegations against him.

“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.”