BATON ROUGE — LSU football coach Brian Kelly on Wednesday said claims of former player Greg Brooks Jr. that the coach and his staff were not by his side during his 2023 brain tumor diagnosis and surgery was "factually incorrect."

In an interview with Good Morning America that aired Monday, Brooks, now 23, and his father claimed that Kelly and his staff were more concerned with football than picking up the phone and checking in on Brooks, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2023 after exhibiting symptoms at practice.

Kelly said the claims that he and his staff did not check on the former safety couldn't be further from the truth.

"I want to make it clear, that any player part of this program, I am going to be involved making sure they receive the best care, the best support," Kelly said at a news conference held to announce the team's new signees. "And I'm part of that."

Kelly said that setting the record straight on this matter was "extremely important... to talk about."

"You can question me as a football coach," he said. "But off the field... as someone who is actively involved in every community I have been involved with, this is where the line is drawn with me."

Kelly said that he is committed to helping his players above all else, reiterating that he and his staff "love Greg (Brooks)."

"That comment struck a nerve with me. It hit my heart," Kelly said. "That's not why I'm in this business. I've been in it for our players. I'll always be in it for our players."

The Brooks family has sued the university, alleging negligence by the football program and its medical partners.

According to the filing, despite continuing to report symptoms on a "daily basis," it was not until 39 days after Brooks said his symptoms began that "the team made an appointment with a neurologist who discovered the brain tumor."

He has since undergone surgery that has forced him to relearn how to do basic tasks like speaking and moving his own body independently, Brooks and his father said.

Kelly said he cannot comment directly on the ongoing litigation against the university.

"There's many things I cannot say," he said.