Greg Brooks Jr., the former LSU football player and team captain whose career ended after the discovery of a brain tumor last fall, is suing the school and its affiliated medical center for negligence. Brooks accuses coaches of inaction and trainers of misdiagnoses and files 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 of the timeline of last year’s events involving Brooks’ unexpected turn of events – from star safety to the SEC with NFL aspirations for a now “permanently disabled” man who still cannot walk a year after surgery.
The lawsuit details the onset of Brooks’ symptoms during football practice last August until his emergency brain surgery in September — a story that captivated the country last year. He took part in two football matches before an MRI scan discovered the brain tumor.
In the legal filing, Brooks accuses the coaching staff of encouraging him to practice and play while he is ill by threatening his starting position, and he files claims against team trainers for failing to properly diagnose his condition and for weeks refused to recommend him to a neurological doctor. specialist.
In the most serious allegations, Brooks claims he suffered “catastrophic neurological injuries” and is “permanently disabled” from the brain surgery performed by Brandon Gaynor, a surgeon at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. During the surgery, Brooks says he suffered “multiple strokes” as a result of “crimes.” These alleged actions are being addressed in a medical investigation into malpractice claims filed by the family.
Along with Gaynor, the lawsuit names and holds partially responsible several LSU coaching and training staff members and medical center physicians. The list includes head coach Brian Kelly, then-defensive coordinator Matt House, then-safeties coach Kerry Cooks, head athletic trainer Owen Stanley and team physicians Stephen Etheredge and Vincent Shaw.
Both LSU and Our Lady of the Lake released statements to Yahoo Sports this week.
“First and foremost, our prayers remain with Greg for his continued healing and recovery. Due to patient privacy laws and ongoing litigation, we cannot comment on specific individuals or situations,” a statement from the hospital said. “The neurosurgical team at Our Lady of the Lake is among the most experienced in Louisiana and gives our patients the best chance for a positive outcome under all circumstances. Providing excellent health care to those we serve is our top priority.”
The school wrote: “While LSU cannot comment on pending litigation, Greg Brooks remains in our thoughts and prayers as he continues the rehabilitation process. Since the beginning of our agreement with our Championship Health Partner, Our Lady of the Lake, they 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 the surgery, Brooks cannot walk, cannot use his right hand and has significant difficulty speaking, according to a request his attorneys sent to the Division of Administration’s Medical Review Panel.
“Greg will likely require care for the rest of his life for the injuries he sustained as a result of the malpractice of his health care providers,” the document said. “It is clear that Greg will also never be able to play football again and will probably never be able to work and/or care for himself again without the help of others.”
Brooks developed a condition known as ‘posterior fossa syndrome’ from the surgery, a post-operative problem that occurs in some patients with a range of symptoms including effects on speech, motor skills and behaviour. His neurological injuries are a “direct result of the malpractice of these neurosurgeons,” according to the complaint.
Brooks was eventually transferred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis last October and suffered “extended hospitalization, rehabilitation and recovery” that lasted nine months. He recently spent several days in a Memphis hospital for a procedure.
In the lawsuit, Brooks also accuses LSU of disclosing confidential medical information that was “false and misleading”; using his name, image and likeness without his permission; and refused to transfer ownership of an endowment fund in his name to him through the LSU Tiger Athletic Foundation. There is an NCAA policy requiring documentation of qualifying medical expenses for distribution purposes of such funds. LSU did not discuss the fund in its statement.
Brooks, a native of Harvey, Louisiana, just outside New Orleans, was a three-year starter at safety for Arkansas before transferring to LSU in 2022. In his first season with the Tigers, he ranked fifth on the team in tackles, started 13 games and recorded a game-safe interception in a win against Auburn.
Last August, before the start of his fifth-year senior season, he was voted permanent team captain and entered the season as an NFL Draft prospect.
However, on August 5, during the first week of LSU’s preseason camp, Brooks experienced symptoms of nausea and dizziness and vomited during practice. He was treated with Zofran for nausea and cleared to return to practice. Two days later, on August 7, Brooks’ symptoms worsened. LSU coaches cleared Brooks of concussion after using an electronic app on an iPad called “C3 Logix,” according to the complaint. On August 11, Brooks experienced more symptoms during a “rolling exercise” during practice. He was treated for ‘dizziness’.
The symptoms persisted over the next few weeks as the Tigers prepared for the season opener against Florida State in Orlando. Brooks was given the option to opt out of practice, but was “at the same time 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 said.
He played the majority of LSU’s first two games against Florida State and Grambling. On September 13, 39 days after Brooks first experienced symptoms, trainers scheduled him to be examined by a neurologist when the MRI was performed.
Trainers then communicated the results to Brooks and made appointments for emergency surgery that same day at LSU-affiliated Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center. The medical center “selected” Gaynor as its surgeon and “never explained” to Brooks or his parents that they could explore other treatment options, the complaint said.
The lawsuit alleges that Gaynor “did not have the proper training, education and/or experience to perform the procedure.” Removing this type of brain tumor requires craniotomy and excision, which is routinely performed by “fellowship-trained pediatric neurosurgeons,” according to the complaint.
Going into surgery, Gaynor told Brooks that he would likely be able to eat that same evening and that the “worst-case scenario” would be that he would have difficulty swallowing and speaking for a few months, according to a letter to the medical review panel. .
After surgery, Brooks’ tumor was determined to be a “pediatric tumor,” normally a cancerous tumor found in children. However, pediatric tumors can also occur in adults. In general, cancerous brain tumors can be difficult to detect because they grow slowly and can be “asymptomatic” — without causing symptoms — until advanced stages, according to medical journals.
The Commission on Cancer Accreditation has accredited Our Lady of the Lake for cancer removal procedures for many years. Accreditation is normally determined by the number of successful operations in a hospital. The surgeon in the crosshairs of the lawsuit, Gaynor, became certified in neurological surgery by the American Board of Neurological Surgery in 2018, according to his biography on the Our Lady of the Lake website.
In a follow-up to its statement, the hospital wrote: “As LSU’s Championship Health Partner, Our Lady of the Lake leads the team of health care professionals who care for LSU athletes. The team of sports medicine physicians, cardiologists, neurologists and other specialists work collaboratively with the LSU athletic department to ensure student-athletes receive comprehensive, highest-level care.”
In the aftermath of Brooks’ surgery, LSU honored him by playing a game against Arkansas last year with helmet stickers featuring the number 3, his jersey number. 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. The actions “further exacerbated Greg’s significant emotional distress,” the lawsuit said.
A hearing is scheduled before Judge Tiffany Foxworth-Roberts for Feb. 10. In the most recent filing on Oct. 7, Brooks’ attorneys requested a subpoena before LSU, the Board of Supervisors and the Louisiana Office of the Commissioner of Administration.
