Well, college football is not always about glitz and glamor. While players and coaches get a lot of the glory, there’s another side to their experience. And that’s where Greg Brooks Jr.’s story comes to light. Thanks to Good Morning America co-anchor Michael Strahan. While the college football world is going gaga over the transfer portal and the NFL Draft, Brooks Jr.’s tough fight against cancer went unnoticed. And who landed in the hot seat? 

The LSU Tigers HC Brian Kelly. That’s because the head coach had turned aloof towards the player who had taken legal action against Kelly’s program. Luckily, the fans outpour their love and support for Brooks Jr.   

An emotional plea exposed Brian Kelly and Co. 

Greg Brooks Jr. has been Kelly’s top transfer in the 2022 offseason. The senior safety from the Tigers’ SEC West rival was a starter for three seasons in Fayetteville. He mostly played nickel for the Razorbacks, and that’s where he started out at LSU in 2022, too. Brooks Jr. started 13 of 14 games in the 2022 fall but swapped to safety by the end of the season. There was a time when his 66 total tackles ranked fifth on the team. However, his stint was cut short in the Tigers when, in September 2023, he had to undergo emergency surgery.

It turned out to be a rare brain cancer, medulloblastoma, and he needed surgery to remove the tumor. More than a year later, Brooks Jr. and his father, Greg Brooks Sr., made an appearance on Good Morning America.

That’s when the player’s father shared his raw take on his son’s journey. Most of which was hinted at the Tigers HC Kelly. Without taking the HC’s name, the father said, “My son almost lost his life, coach. Where were you?” Well, he has been truly hurt and continued, “Forget about football. Pick up the phone and say you love the kid, man.” This was not the first time that Kelly’s program got involved in Brooks Jr.’s cancer battle. In October 2024, the player sued the school and their medical center in a thirteen-page lawsuit. 

Both Kelly’s program and the Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, where he had brain surgery, were negligent. Once during the practice he had passed out and threw up. The lawsuit claims that Brooks Jr. was told by an LSU athletic trainer that he had vertigo and was “cleared to return to practice.” And we all know what the outcome was. Right now, America stands in solidarity.

How did Brian Kelly disappoint the fanbase?  

Remember when Kelly released a statement on October 14 after the lawsuit? “It doesn’t change the way we feel about Greg. Our support is going to be there. We hope and pray for only the best for him,” stated the Tigers HC. Unfortunately, Kelly did not live up to his words. As far as the charges brought forward by Brooks Jr.’s father, the HC did not bother to know about his son’s whereabouts. This brings forward the gruesome reality of the sport where ‘pay for play’ culture has become dominant because of the NIL. On that note, a frustrated fan wrote, “college football has turned into all about the money and paying players.”

Greg Brooks Jr. still holds a special place in the fans’ hearts. After all, he came up with 186 tackles, 19 deflections, and six interceptions with one pick-six in the Tigers’ squad. So, one of them prayed for a speedy recovery to be able to watch him again on the gridiron, “Hope he improves beyond anything believes possible!”

From starting 45 starts in 50 games and coming off with so much power on the gridiron, it is difficult for a fan to accept what life has in store for every individual. He wrote, “That sh-t got me teary eyed. You’re life can change at any moment. appreciate everyday.” While one of his players struggled with his life, the fact that Kelly carried with his life normally left a fan comment, “Terrible.”

Another fan chose to find an answer to an important question. He wrote, “Idk for sure, but in corporate America an employer cannot legally contact an employee on medical leave. Maybe something similar?” At the end of the day, these players are just college students, not paid employees. Now that Greg Brooks Jr. and his father communicated how Brian Kelly’s actions made them feel bad, can we expect a phone call from the HC? Or is he too busy to revamp his roster?