Greg Brooks Jr., a former LSU football player and team captain whose career ended last fall after the discovery of a brain tumor, is suing the school and its affiliated medical center for negligence. Brooks accuses the coaches of passivity and the coaches of incorrect diagnosis, and also demands claims against the surgeon who operated on him.
The 13-page lawsuit, filed in August in East Baton Rouge Parish and obtained Thursday by Yahoo Sports, reveals unreported details about a timeline of events last year related to an unexpected turn of events for Brooks' team – from star safety to SEC to NFL aspirations to character a “permanently disabled” man who, one year after surgery, still cannot walk.
The lawsuit details the onset of Brooks' symptoms during football practice last August, leading up to his emergency brain surgery in September – a story that shocked the country last year. He played in two football games before an MRI revealed a brain tumor.
In the lawsuit, Brooks accuses the coaching staff of encouraging him to practice and play during his illness by threatening his starting position, and also makes claims against the team's coaches for incorrectly diagnosing his condition and refusing to refer him to a neurologist for weeks. specialist.
In the most serious allegations, Brooks claims he suffered “catastrophic neurological injuries” and is “permanently disabled” as a result of brain surgery performed by Brandon Gaynor, a surgeon at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. Brooks claims he suffered “multiple strokes” during surgery as a result of “medical malpractice.” These alleged acts are being investigated as part of a medical review of the family's malpractice claims.
In addition to Gaynor, the lawsuit names and holds partially responsible several members of LSU's coaching and training staff, as well as doctors at its medical centers. The list includes head coach Brian Kelly, then-defensive coordinator Matt House, then safeties coach Kerry Cooks, head athletic trainer Owen Stanley and team doctors Stephen Etheredge and Vincent Shaw.
Both LSU and Our Lady of the Lake released statements to Yahoo Sports this week.
“Above all, we remain in Greg's prayers for his continued healing and recovery. Due to patient privacy laws and ongoing legal proceedings, we cannot comment on specific individuals or situations,” the hospital said in a statement. “The neurosurgical team at Our Lady of the Lake is among the most experienced in Louisiana and provides our patients with the best chance of achieving a successful outcome in any circumstance. Providing excellent health care to the people we serve is our highest priority.”
The school wrote: “While LSU cannot comment on pending legal proceedings, Greg Brooks remains in our thoughts and prayers as he continues his rehabilitation process. “Since the inception of our agreement with our Championship health partner, Our Lady of the Lake, we have provided exceptional medical care to our student-athletes in all of our sports.”
Brooks and his family did not respond to a request for comment.
A year after surgery, Brooks cannot walk, cannot use his right hand and has significant difficulty speaking, according to a request his lawyers sent to the Division of Administration's Medical Review Panel.
“Greg will likely need lifelong care due to the injuries he suffered as a result of the malpractice of his healthcare providers,” the document reads. “Of course, Greg will never be able to play football again and will probably never be able to work and/or take care of himself without the help of others.”
As a result of the surgery, Brooks developed a condition known as “posterior fossa syndrome,” a post-operative problem that occurs in some patients and presents with a range of symptoms that include effects on speech, motor skills and behavior. His neurological injuries are “a direct result of neurosurgeon malpractice,” the complaint says.
Brooks was eventually transferred to St. George's Children's Research Hospital. Jude in Memphis last October and suffered “prolonged hospitalization, rehabilitation and recovery” that lasted nine months. He recently spent several days in a Memphis hospital undergoing surgery.
In the lawsuit, Brooks also accuses LSU of disclosing confidential medical information that was “false and misleading”; using his name, image or likeness without his consent; and refusing to transfer to him ownership of the endowment fund maintained on his behalf through the LSU Tiger Athletic Foundation. There is an NCAA policy requiring documentation of qualifying medical expenses in order to distribute such funds. LSU did not address the fund in its statement.
Brooks, a native of Harvey, Louisiana, just outside New Orleans, played three years at free safety for Arkansas before transferring to LSU in 2022. In his first season with the Tigers, he finished fifth on the team in tackles, started 13 games and recorded a safe interception in a win over Auburn.
Last August, before his fifth senior season, he was selected as the team's permanent captain and began the season as an NFL draft prospect.
However, on August 5, during the first week of LSU's preseason camp, Brooks experienced nausea and dizziness and vomited at practice. He was treated for nausea with Zofran and allowed to return to practice. Two days later, on August 7, Brooks' symptoms worsened. LSU coaches cleared Brooks of a concussion after using an electronic application on an iPad called “C3 Logix,” the complaint says. On August 11, Brooks experienced more symptoms while doing “skating exercises” at practice. He was treated for “vertigo.”
Symptoms persisted over the next several weeks as the Tigers prepared for their season opener against Florida State in Orlando. Brooks had the option to not participate in practice, but “at the same time he was told by the coaching staff that if he chose to sit out, someone else would take his place and he could lose his starting position,” the lawsuit says.
He played most of LSU's first two games against Florida State and Grambling. On Sept. 13, 39 days after Brooks first felt symptoms, coaches scheduled him to be examined by a neurologist while undergoing an MRI.
The coaches then reported the results to Brooks, and they scheduled emergency surgery that same day at LSU-affiliated Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center. As noted in the complaint, the medical center “selected” Gaynor as its surgeon and “never explained” to Brooks or his parents that they might consider other treatment options.
The lawsuit alleges that Gaynor “lacked adequate training, education and/or experience to perform the procedure.” Removal of this type of brain tumor requires a craniotomy and excision and is routinely performed by “trained pediatric neurosurgeons,” the complaint says.
Going into surgery, Gaynor told Brooks that he would likely be able to eat dinner that evening and that the “worst case scenario” would be that he would have difficulty swallowing and speaking for several months, according to the letter to the medical board.
After surgery, Brooks' tumor was recognized as a “pediatric tumor,” usually a malignant tumor that occurs in children. However, tumors in children may appear in adults. In general, according to medical journals, cancerous brain tumors can be difficult to detect because they grow slowly and can be “asymptomatic” – causing no symptoms – until the advanced stage.
The Cancer Accreditation Commission has accredited Our Lady of the Lake for cancer removal procedures for years. Accreditation is usually determined by the number of successful surgeries in a hospital. The surgeon named in the lawsuit, Gaynor, was certified in neurological surgery by the American Board of Neurological Surgery in 2018, according to his biography on Our Lady of the Lake's website.
In a continuation of its statement, the hospital wrote: “As the health partner of the LSU Championships, Our Lady of the Lake leads the team of health care professionals caring for LSU athletes. A team of sports medicine physicians, cardiologists, neurologists and other specialists work with the LSU athletics department to provide student-athletes with the highest level of comprehensive care.
In the wake of Brooks' surgery, LSU honored him by wearing helmet stickers with the number 3, his jersey number, in last year's game against Arkansas. A few weeks later, the school honored Gaynor at halftime of the LSU-Florida game for his “heroic” efforts in treating Brooks, something the lawsuit condemns. These actions “further worsened Greg's emotional state,” the lawsuit says.
A hearing before Judge Tiffany Foxworth-Roberts is scheduled for February 10. In the most recent filing, filed on Oct. 7, Brooks' lawyers requested a subpoena for LSU, its board of trustees and the Louisiana Office of the Commissioner of Administration.
