Well, the September 2023 LSU-Arkansas game held more than just SEC stakes; it was emotionally tragic. A week earlier, Greg Brooks Jr. collapsed at practice, needing emergency brain surgery. LSU’s medical team initially diagnosed vertigo, but an MRI revealed a brain tumor. Despite this, he was cleared to play. In August 2024, Brooks Jr. sued LSU and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, alleging that he “passed out” and “began to vomit minutes later in front of his coaches and athletic trainers,” yet they allowed him back on the field. And that’s where the mess started!

Now, surgery removed the tumor, and he’s cancer-free but permanently disabled, requiring him to relearn basic functions like speaking, eating, and walking. October 2024 brought another lawsuit from his family, claiming an unqualified surgeon performed the operation. Adding to their distress, the Brooks family criticized LSU’s lack of support, particularly Coach Brian Kelly’s absence during a critical time. Greg Brooks Sr. publicly questioned Kelly’s whereabouts, stating, “My son almost lost his life. Coach, where were you? Forget about football. Pick up the phone and say you love the kid, man.”

As Brooks Sr. claims, Kelly made no effort whatsoever to follow up after the surgery’s complications. Kelly swiftly refuted those claims, calling them baseless. “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 for the battler that he is. We only wish him continued progress as he goes through an [incredibly] difficult time,” said Kelly.

Now, a week before, the entire situation again caught attention when Ryan Clark’s formal meet with the two on the Pivot Podcast. Now, after the meetup, he couldn’t help but get emotional and thank his stars for the life he has. “I just wish I could be normal again,” he wrote on X. But that opened a rage of angry fans hitting right at Brian Kelly. But why? On the one hand, Greg Brooks Jr. emotionally recounted his ordeal to Ryan Clark. Despite his physical and cognitive struggles, he calmly detailed the timeline, reflecting rather than expressing anger. His strength moved Clark to tears.

However, his father, Greg Brooks Sr., took a more forceful approach in an earlier interview with Michael Strahan, accusing LSU coach Brian Kelly of abandoning the family during Greg Jr.’s health crisis. Ryan Clark’s attempt to resolve the conflict with Brooks Sr. failed, as Brooks Sr. vehemently rejected Kelly’s statement, calling it false. “Look at the phone records. This man has never called us,” said Greg Brooks Sr. “As a head coach, you named this kid a team captain. H—l, we don’t care what he was. He could have been at the bottom. [Brian Kelly] never called us. Why I gotta prove this?… I’m telling you because [Brooks Jr.’s] mom doesn’t know what he sounds like.”

The entire situation prompted LSU insider Matt Moscono to share his perspective on the After Further Review: LSU podcast. Reacting to the statements Greg Sr. made: “It is such an impossible circumstance. I empathize with Greg Senior, but I also understand Kelly’s perspective. Even Ryan Clark, at that point in the interview [with Greg Brooks Sr.], says, ‘What about all the other players on the team that Brian Kelly is responsible for? He’s running a Giant football program. Which is true. So on one hand, it’s factually inaccurate to say that Brian Kelly was never there. He was there four times. Think about the sequence of events.”

Moscoso further defended Brian Kelly and said, “Greg Jr. gets diagnosed on a Thursday; he has surgery Friday. It’s the day before a football game. Brian Kelly is running this football program, and I understand that Greg Brooks’ life means more than a football game… Play the game Saturday; he is at the hospital Sunday. Again, I’m not excusing it because I’m empathetic toward Greg Senior…” Now, Moscono did try to cover up the entire situation, but couldn’t stop fans from raging over Brian Kelly’s action.

Brian Kelly is facing the fans’ wrath

Look, there’s no denying the fact that Greg Brooks Jr. faced a hell of a time recovering from his cancer. Suffering “multiple strokes” and even being left with “severe and permanent injuries” isn’t that easy. It became a nightmare at one point for him. “Honestly, I thought it was all fake. Like, I was in disbelief,” Greg Jr. said, “Like, a nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from.”  And after months of chemotherapy and radiation, the battle finally ended. But despite all of it, Greg still stood up strong and came back, setting an example for all his fans.

Now, in such a crucial time when you don’t get attention from your near ones, it sure hurts. In Greg’s case, his father made sure the world knows it, even if he has to go up against Brian Kelly. Now, even after clearing the entire situation, he is still on fans’ radar, getting hate comments like, “17 months… I’ve always thought Kelly was a piece of 💩!”

No wonder Greg Jr. and his father chose Ryan Clark to share their story. He didn’t just do justice with the story, but also made sure that the world knows the entire truth behind the lawsuit and the struggles he went through. And this fan made sure Clark gets his fair share of appreciation. “Thank you for telling this young man’s story. What a beautiful soul. It certainly puts things into perspective, right? Bless him and his family! Bless the thousands of others that are facing difficult circumstances. I wish we cared for one another more. I wish we loved one another more.”

The entire comment section was flooded with prayers and best wishes for Greg Brooks Jr. This fan couldn’t help but comment on how this podcast and the story behind Greg’s yearlong struggle made him sentimental. “How do you watch this and not get emotional? This is heartbreaking 💔.”  But Greg’s journey isn’t about his hardships but the story of his redemption. Now, it was sure tough. “It was hard; I’m not going to lie. Because I was doing stuff that I normally don’t…like, ‘Man, I can do that. Why am I struggling with that?’ I would try to make a tackle, and I would get up feeling dizzy. And I’m like, ‘That’s not right.’ It was just on and on, different stuff like that that would leave me [thinking], ‘Huh? No, there’s something not right,” Greg Jr. said.

But despite all of it, he didn’t give up. And that’s what inspires people. “Damn. I can’t believe his spirit. Prayers up for homie, God is great 🙏🏽.” Now, whether Brian Kelly really didn’t care about him or ignored him is not a matter anymore, as his story is beyond this.