What happened with Greg Brooks Jr.? Football players wants his life to be normal following paralysis and speech loss

Greg Brooks Jr. is a former football player who played safety for the LSU (Louisiana State University) Tigers. Back in September 2023, Brooks had to undergo an emergency surgery because he was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. At the time, Greg Brooks Jr. was only 23 years old.

After the surgery, Brooks Jr. was left permanently disabled because the surgeon who performed the surgery was "not qualified to do this particular surgery." In 2024, Greg and his family filed a lawsuit against the Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center.

During an interview with Ryan Clark, a former professional NFL football player, on The Pivot Podcast, Greg Brooks Jr. expressed:

"I just wish i could be normal again."

He added:

"Sometimes I miss it. I look at the screen and think that’s supposed to be me, but I’m just happy to be here," Brooks Jr. told Ryan Clark.

To this, Clark responded:

"You are extraordinary. You are an inspiration, I mean you’re a superhero, and I expected you from a very young age, when I met you, to accomplish great things... I never expected that you’d have to and be able to accomplish what you have man. I love you."

How did Greg Brooks Jr. find out he had a rare brain tumor?

Greg Brooks Jr. shared what he experienced before he underwent his life-changing surgery. During an interview with Good Morning America on March 3, 2025, Brooks Jr. advised young players and athletes:

"I just want young athletes in the same spot I was, if something is hurting, tell them (coaches and school officials), and if they don't do anything about it, go get your second opinion. Because if I would have known that, I wouldn't be the way I am right now."

He also disclosed some of the symptoms he experienced in August 2023, and these include dizziness, nausea, and headaches. Later on, after the surgery, Brooks Jr. came out with "severe and permanent injuries". The former football player and his family decided to file a lawsuit against the medical center in Baton Rouge.

More details about Brooks Jr.'s experience were shared in the lawsuit. It states that the former safety for LSU even passed out during practice, and:

"began to vomit minutes later in front of his coaches and athletic trainers."

He was diagnosed with vertigo by the LSU athletic trainer and was cleared to practice again. Brooks Jr. experienced these symptoms for 39 days and even reported them. More than a month has passed till the:

"the team made an appointment with a neurologist who discovered the brain tumor."

The lawsuit also revealed what happened to Greg Brooks Jr. during the surgery. It stated that he suffered "multiple strokes" and was left impaired by the end of the surgery.

Brooks Jr. also shared his first thoughts after waking up. He said:

"Honestly, I all thought it was fake. Like, I was in disbelief... Like, a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from."

Coming back to Ryan Clark's podcast, he broke down in tears when Greg Brooks Jr. was wheeled away from the set. He expressed:

"It’s just hard seeing him like that, man. My tears are like part pride but also just anger man, cuz you’re right, that baby didn’t…he doesn’t deserve that man, and honestly, GB [Greg Brooks Sr.], the hardest part for me is that he has no anger about it. He’s so happy for everything he has, he’s so happy for how far he’s come."

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