BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU coach Brian Kelly rebutted claims made on national television that he showed minimal interest in Greg Brooks Jr.’s well-being after the defensive back’s football career was cut short by emergency surgery to remove a brain tumor.
“You can question me as a football coach. 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,” Kelly said Wednesday during a news conference in which he was scheduled to discuss transfer players.
“That comment struck a nerve with me,” Kelly continued. “It hit my heart.”
Kelly was responding to a comment made by Brooks’ father on ABC’s “Good Morning America” two days earlier.
“My son almost lost his life, Coach,” he said, claiming his family had not heard from Kelly since October 2023. “Where were you? Forget about football. Pick up the phone and say you love the kid, man.”