Earlier today, it was announced that Garrison Brooks would not be granted a release from his NLI by Mississippi State. Editor Justin Strawn wrote about that here. Since then, Brooks’ mother contacted us and wanted to give a statement. Below is a quote from Tammala Colquitt after my phone conversation with her.

We’re not done with the appeal process. We will go to the ends of the earth because Garrison does not want to attend Mississippi State. Contrary to what people think, this is not his mother’s decision. Yes there is friction between his parents, because I don’t think any kid should be railroaded into protecting a person’s job or doing something for his parents. This is his life. I’m prepared to retain an attorney. I’ve spoken with Mississippi State. I tried to resolve this amicably. Just release the kid. He clearly does not want to go.

Garrison has another appeal with the NLI. There’s another process that we can go through that would put everyone out there. It could put his dad as a coach out there. How did he come to this decision? Was there bad advice on his behalf? How did he make this decision without his mother? How did his dad sign the NLI if he isn’t the custodial parent? There’s a lot of things that the media does not know. I’ve never even seen the NLI. Garrison has never been a resident of Mississippi. He doesn’t even live there. His father really had no right to sign the NLI. Mississippi State knew that and they shouldn’t have allowed it. That’s why I’m questioning that part.

My appeal to them as an institution is to release the kid if he doesn’t want to go there. Don’t bring a firestorm of rumors and allegations. You don’t want those problems with a new athletics director. His dad could easily go in there and say “hey, hey, hey, it’s time to stop this. My son doesn’t want to go.” That would be what I would do. But he’s not standing up for Garrison.

My thing is we’re going to take this to the end of the earth. If that means we have to lawyer up, fight fire with fire, we’re going to see this to the end. Garrison does not intend to play basketball for Mississippi State. He doesn’t plan on going to juco. If he has to go to prep school, that’s fine, we’ll do that. But he’s not playing for Mississippi State because he doesn’t want to. He doesn’t feel that it’s a good fit. He feels like he made an emotional decision.

My thing is I want people to get it right. This isn’t an issue of a mother trying to enforce something. This is a kid who has come to me and said “mom, I don’t want to go there. What can I do?” Me being the mother that I’ve been for 17 years, I’m going to go tooth and nail for him. I feel like he’s been railroaded. I feel like he’s been misrepresented.

That is not what I’m going to allow. Garrison is a good kid. He’s a good student. He’s a good athlete. He deserves better than what we’re receiving right now.