Cody Webb thinks about his brother, Spencer Webb, every day.
He thinks about how the towering 6-foot-7 Oregon Ducks tight end dazzled in conversation and in athletics. He thinks about what might have been had the former Christian Brothers star not died last summer at 22. Now, he said he can’t help questioning whether his brother fathered a child with an Instagram model.
Cody Webb was the mentoring older brother to Spencer, who died July 13 after hitting his head during a cliff dive just west of Triangle Lake in Lane County, Oregon, less than 50 miles from Eugene. The accident happened weeks before the NFL prospect was set to begin his junior campaign with the Ducks.
The death sparked waves of grief and became a national story. Since Spencer Webb’s death, Instagram influencer Kelly Kay Green, 30, has also been posting about her grief, and has said Webb was the father of her young baby. Green, who goes by Kelly Kay on social media, shared Instagram posts about her days-long relationship with Webb and detailed her pregnancy through the March 30 birth of a boy.
The story has gone national, including a story in People magazine in which Kay delighted in naming the baby Spider, in reference to Webb’s childhood nickname. She has posted photos of the newborn laying on top of Webb’s No. 18 Oregon football jersey.
Cody Webb and his family issued a statement Tuesday to The Sacramento Bee casting doubt on the timeline and length of the relationship between Spencer Webb and Kay. The family also questions if the baby is Webb’s. The Webb family said in the statement that they want a DNA test, saying Kay had initially agreed, but only on her terms, and those talks stalled weeks ago.
Kay lives in Tennessee. She did not immediately return a message from The Bee for comment.
The Webb statement says, in part, “Our family has tried to focus on our grieving process since the passing of our brother, son and nephew. We grieve both individually and as a family, trying to cope with this tragedy. In the first hours after Spencer passed, and only a few days after they met, Kelly began talking about the possibility of being pregnant. Since Spencer isn’t able to handle this situation himself, we have tried to navigate this sensitive space as a family.
“Our family has doubts and concerns regarding the paternity of this child for a multitude of reasons. Until this point, we’ve remained silent in hopes that a DNA test would confirm Spencer as the father. Unfortunately, Kelly has been unwilling to compromise regarding the manner in which the DNA test is collected. Due to the inability to agree on a suitable DNA collection process, we wanted to put together a statement and timeline to help provide the family’s perspective on these circumstances.”
The family statement said Kay, “initially reached out to Spencer on June 28, 2022 via a direct message on social media, 16 days before he passed. Kelly flew into Oregon on the night of July 7th 2022 to meet Spencer for the first time, 6 days before he passed. We are providing a timeline of Spencer’s last month and the following months to help provide some clarity.”
The Webb family said as soon as Spencer Webb died, “Kelly began to state she could be pregnant with Spencer’s child.”
According to the family’s statement, on July 29, the “first day of Spencer’s hometown services, Kelly sends a text message to Spencer’s phone stating she is pregnant and refers to the baby as ‘him.’”
Cody Webb said he is certain of this event because he had possession of his brother’s phone when Kay’s texts were received. Webb said Kay continued to text his brother’s phone with updates on the gender of the baby. Webb said he asked her to remove the pregnancy announcement on her social media “until we can verify Spencer is indeed the father of her child,” but Kay declined.
Kay made news in February 2020 when she was arrested for rushing the field during Super Bowl LIV between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs in Miami. While being detained by six guards, Kay, then 27, lifted her dress to moon the crowd. She was arrested on a misdemeanor trespassing charge and later posted on social media that she had no regrets, adding, “Do what you want, when you want, life’s too short to have regrets.”
In February, three years after her Super Bowl stunt, Kay addressed her soaring social media popularity in an interview with the New York Times.
“All of a sudden, I wasn’t just the hot girl or the girl that ran on the field,” Kay told the Times. “I was a hot Instagram influencer that ran on the field and had worldwide attention. I saw an opportunity to capitalize, and I saw the power of virality.”
After Spencer Webb’s death, Kay posted on Instagram, “My best friend, my twin flame, the love of my life. I’ve never loved anything as much as I love you. You were my everything, you gave me purpose, you showed me what it’s like to be cherished and valued and seen for me.”
She continued: “We had so many big plans. I don’t know where to go from here but I know you’ll be watching over me keeping me strong. You always put everybody else before yourself and I’ll try to hold the same kindness in my heart.”
Another post said: “We created an angel before heaven gained one. All you ever wanted was to be a father. I know you’ll be the best one from up above. Can’t believe I have to do it without you but knowing I’ll have a piece of you keeps me going. I can’t wait to meet the person that’s half you, half me.”
The Webb family said Kay has been unwilling to meet their terms for a DNA test. The family said it wants a test at a mutually agreed upon facility. The family said it will pay for testing and travel expenses.
“Unfortunately,” the family said in its statement, “Kelly has been unwilling to compromise or empathize with our concerns.”
This story was originally published May 11, 2023 1:29 PM.