LSU defensive back Greg Brooks Jr. had his football career cut short in 2023 after doctors discovered a brain tumor, and he has since been fighting a rare form of brain cancer and dealing with serious long-term complications.

What happened medically

  • In September 2023, shortly after the start of his second season at LSU, Brooks began experiencing neurological symptoms such as dizziness and vertigo, which led to imaging that revealed a brain tumor.
  • He underwent emergency surgery on September 15, 2023, to remove the tumor; pathology later showed it was medulloblastoma, a rare form of brain cancer.
  • Doctors reported that the surgery successfully removed the tumor and that there was no evidence the cancer had spread, but that he would face months of intensive rehabilitation.
  • He missed the rest of the 2023 season and effectively lost his chance at an NFL career because of the severity of the condition and its after‑effects.

His current condition and recovery

  • Since surgery, Brooks has undergone extensive rehab and continues to work on basic functions like walking, talking, writing, and eating.
  • Reports and interviews in 2024–2025 describe him as wheelchair‑bound and speaking slowly with slurred speech, indicating permanent or long‑term neurological damage.
  • His story has been featured on major platforms such as Good Morning America, where he and his family talked about how drastically his life changed and how hard he is fighting to recover.

Lawsuit and controversy with LSU

  • In 2024, Brooks filed a medical negligence lawsuit against LSU and its sports‑medicine partner, Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center, alleging that staff failed to properly respond to his symptoms before the tumor was discovered.
  • The suit claims he repeatedly reported clear neurological symptoms (dizziness, headaches, nausea) but was treated for issues like vertigo and allowed to keep playing rather than being promptly evaluated by specialists.
  • The lawsuit also argues that the emergency brain surgery was mishandled and that a more qualified surgeon and non‑emergency schedule could have reduced the risk of permanent disability.
  • As of mid‑2025, court filings show the case has cleared at least one procedural hurdle and is moving forward rather than being thrown out.

Dispute over support from LSU

  • Brooks and his family have publicly said that LSU head coach Brian Kelly and his staff stopped contacting them not long after the surgery, something they repeated in national interviews.
  • Kelly has strongly denied this, saying it is “factually incorrect” and insisting that he visited Brooks multiple times and had staff with him “virtually every single day.”
  • This disagreement has become a major talking point in forums and news discussions, with one side emphasizing perceived abandonment and the other stressing continued emotional and institutional support.

How people online are talking about it

  • On college football forums and social media, the topic “what happened to Greg Brooks LSU” usually refers to: his cancer diagnosis, the severity of his disabilities, and the negligence lawsuit.
  • Many commenters focus on the human side—his lost NFL future, his fight to relearn basic skills, and the emotional toll on him and his family—often framing it as one of the most heartbreaking recent stories in college football.
  • Others debate the legal and ethical side: how medical decisions are made in high‑stakes college sports, whether LSU’s staff handled warning signs appropriately, and whether the case will end in a settlement.

TL;DR: Greg Brooks Jr., an LSU captain and former Arkansas defensive back, was found to have a brain tumor in 2023, underwent emergency surgery for a rare brain cancer, and is now permanently disabled and in long‑term rehab, while simultaneously suing LSU and its medical partners for alleged negligence in how his symptoms and surgery were handled.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.