BATON ROUGE — One day after LSU football coach Brian Kelly responded to former player Greg Brooks Jr. and his family’s recent interview that aired on national TV earlier earlier this week, Brooks’ attorney fired back on claims Kelly made.
During a news conference Wednesday, Kelly told reporters it was “factually incorrect to state that I was not there by Greg’s side through the ordeal.”
“On multiple occasions, I had somebody from my staff that was there virtually every single day,” Kelly said. “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 incredible difficult time.”
Brooks’ attorneys, Jeffrey S. Rosenblum from Rosenblum & Reisman P.C. and Kara Samuels from Samuels and Thornton, sent out an e-mail to media Thursday refuting remarks Kelly made the day before, saying Kelly has not had any contact with his former player “in over 16 months.”
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“It was difficult for Greg Brooks Jr. to listen to LSU coach Brian Kelly say he was by his side through this ordeal and then accuse his father of making a false statement when the reality is that coach Kelly has not contacted Greg Jr. in over 16 months. 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,” Brooks’ attorneys wrote in the e-mail. “LSU and coach Kelly cannot deny this because it is true.
“Ironically, it was coach Kelly who made factually inaccurate statements in March of 2024 when he told the media that Greg was walking, which obviously was not true. Coach Kelly would have known that had he simply picked up the phone and called. 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.”
Kelly was responding to Brooks Sr.’s statement during the interview that ran on Good Morning America on Monday in which he called out Kelly for his absence during his son’s unfortunate situation.
“Specifically, Brian Kelly, my son almost lost his life. Coach, where were you?” Brooks Sr. said during the taped interview. “Forget about football. Pick up the phone and say you love the kid, man.”
Greg Brooks Jr. had to have emergency brain surgery after an MRI discovered a pediatric brain tumor in September 2023, a procedure that came 39 days after the former LSU players began exhibiting symptoms during football practice such as nausea, vomiting and dizziness.
The Brooks’ opened a lawsuit against LSU, Baton Rouge-based hospital Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center for negligence in August in East Baton Rouge Parish. Kelly was named in the filing along with former LSU safeties coach Kerry Cooks, former defensive coordinator Matt House, LSU head athletic trainer Owen Stanley and team doctors Vincent Shaw and Stephen Etheredge.
In the filing, Brooks accused the football coaching staff of threatening his starting role on the defense if he chose not to practice while experiencing symptoms and that the LSU doctors made him an appointment with a neurologist 39 days after first being symptomatic.
Kelly took umbrage with how he was portrayed during the GMA interview.
“That comment struck a nerve with me. It hit my heart. I’m in this business for our players and it rattled me that somebody could possibly be so factually incorrect in stating that I was not a part of Greg Brooks Jr.’s care and support,” Kelly said.
“The support was the entire university and entire community. I needed to make sure that record was clear.”
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Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Greg Brooks Jr’s attorney respond to LSU coach Brian Kelly’s remarks
