LSU safety Greg Brooks Jr. underwent emergency surgery Friday after being diagnosed with a “large brain tumor,” his family said in a statement.
Brooks was unavailable for LSU’s win over Mississippi State due to what head coach Brian Kelly described as a “medical emergency.” He declined to comment further at the time.
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According to the statement, doctors removed the mass during the procedure, and the family is awaiting biopsy results. 
“We are grateful for the work and care of the medical staff helping Greg through these challenges and for the concern and love poured out by so many in the Louisiana, Arkansas and national sports communities. This means the world to us at this difficult time,” the family said in the statement.
“Greg continues to fight, and we await further clarity on the extent of that battle. His incredible strength of character gives us confidence, but we also know that he needs our support now more than ever. Please keep Greg and our family in your prayers,” the family said.
Kelly gave more details on the situation during the Southeastern Conference coach’s teleconference on Wednesday, clarifying that Brooks dealt with symptoms of the tumor back during fall camp. Brooks missed time during camp with vertigo, which Kelly confirmed they later found out was a symptom of the tumor.
Kelly said Brooks had another “episode” last week, which led to him getting an MRI that confirmed the diagnosis. 
“Finally, we said enough is enough and we got him an MRI and that’s when the tumor was located. The vertigo was just a symptom of what was obviously a larger issue,” Kelly said.
Regarding a possible return to the field, Kelly said it’s hard to know at the current moment.
“There’s so many unanswered questions. I don’t even know that I could begin to give you the medical pieces relative to the surgery to give an educated answer to that,” Kelly said. “I know before he went in, he was pretty clear about playing again this year, but that’s Greg Brooks.”