One day you're the captain of the LSU Tigers, leading a defense in the SEC, and the next, you're waking up from a surgery that changed your life forever. That’s the reality for Greg Brooks Jr. He didn't just have a "bad break" or a typical sports injury. This was a battle for his life that somehow turned into a messy, heart-wrenching legal battle against the school he called home.
Honestly, it's hard to even think about. A kid from Harvey, Louisiana—a local hero who came back to play for the purple and gold—now spends his days in intensive therapy just trying to regain the ability to walk and speak normally. You've probably seen the headlines about his diagnosis with medulloblastoma, which is a rare, aggressive form of brain cancer. But the part that keeps people up at night isn't just the disease. It's the allegation that the system meant to protect him actually failed him.
The August That Changed Everything
It started in August 2023. While the rest of the team was grinding through fall camp, Brooks was fighting a different kind of monster. He was nauseous. He was dizzy. He was dealing with headaches that wouldn't quit. According to a lawsuit filed in August 2024, Brooks actually vomited in front of coaches and trainers.
He asked for help. Multiple times.
Instead of getting an MRI immediately, the lawsuit claims he was told he had vertigo. One trainer allegedly used an app on a phone to "diagnose" him and cleared him to keep practicing. He played in the first two games of the 2023 season—against Florida State and Grambling—while a tumor was literally growing in his brain.
It took 39 days from those first symptoms for LSU to finally get him to a neurologist. By the time they did, the MRI revealed a large mass.
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The Surgery and the Aftermath
On September 15, 2023, Brooks went under the knife. The goal was to remove the tumor. The result, however, was catastrophic. While the surgery was technically "successful" in removing the cancer—and Brooks has since been declared cancer-free—he suffered multiple strokes during the procedure.
His father, Greg Brooks Sr., has been incredibly vocal about this. He says the surgery at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center left his son permanently disabled.
Imagine being 22 years old and having to relearn how to eat. Or how to write your own name.
The family’s legal team, led by Jeffrey Rosenblum, argues that the surgeon wasn't qualified for that specific, complex procedure. They claim LSU rushed the process and didn't give the family a chance to seek a second opinion or find a specialist who deals with adult medulloblastoma, which is incredibly rare. Usually, this is a pediatric cancer.
Why the Community is Still Talking About It
There's a lot of hurt here. Not just physical, but emotional. During an interview on Good Morning America in early 2025, Brooks and his father expressed a deep sense of abandonment.
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Brooks Sr. didn't hold back. He claimed that LSU head coach Brian Kelly hadn't even called to check on the kid since October 2023. Kelly, for his part, has mentioned Brooks in press conferences, saying he remains in the team's "thoughts and prayers," but the family says those are just words for the media.
"My son almost lost his life," Brooks Sr. said. "Coach, where were you?"
The disconnect is jarring. On one hand, you have a university that established the Greg Brooks Victory Fund to help with medical bills. On the other, you have a family suing that same university for medical negligence, claiming they "abandoned" a captain when he was no longer useful on the field.
Where Greg Brooks Jr. Stands Today
As of 2026, Greg's life is a cycle of speech, occupational, and physical therapy. He uses a wheelchair for mobility, though he continues to work on walking independently. His speech is slow and deliberate. It’s a far cry from the explosive athlete who recorded 186 career tackles and 6 interceptions across his time at Arkansas and LSU.
But he hasn't lost his spirit.
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He recently sat down with Ryan Clark on The Pivot Podcast. Seeing him interact with Clark's daughter, Isabella—who also dealt with a brain tumor—was one of those moments that reminds you why this story matters. It’s not just about football. It’s about the vulnerability of these young men we watch every Saturday.
Actionable Insights for Athletes and Families
The Greg Brooks Jr. story is a cautionary tale that every parent and athlete needs to pay attention to. If you take anything away from this, let it be these three things:
- Trust your body over the "app." If you feel neurological symptoms like persistent vertigo, "brain fog," or unexplained vomiting, do not settle for a trainer’s bedside diagnosis. Demand a specialist.
- The "Second Opinion" is your right. Even in an "emergency" situation, if there is a window to consult a specialist at a top-tier neurological center (like St. Jude or Mayo Clinic), take it. The Brooks family regrets not pushing for a specialist sooner.
- Medical Power of Attorney. For college athletes, ensure that parents or trusted advocates have the legal right to make medical decisions. When the school’s interests and the athlete’s health collide, you need an independent voice in the room.
The legal battle will likely drag on for years. LSU maintains they followed proper protocols, while the Brooks family continues to fight for what they call justice. Regardless of the court's eventual ruling, the "Victory Fund" is still active, and supporting it remains one of the best ways to help with the astronomical costs of long-term neurological rehabilitation.
Keep an eye on the East Baton Rouge Parish court filings if you want to see how the negligence claims hold up. But more importantly, keep an eye on Greg. He’s still fighting like a Tiger, just not in the way anyone ever expected.