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Missouri freshman football player needs heart transplant
Summary by The Atlanta Editorial Desk Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk , as published by WSB-TV (ABC) - News
· October 7, 2026
· 1 min read
Photo: WSB-TV (ABC) - News · view original
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Summary created by The Atlanta Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Byline on source page Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk, as published by WSB-TV (ABC) - News Original story Read at the source Source published Oct 7, 2026 Indexed here Oct 7, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
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Key points The player, Johnnie "DJ" Jones, is an 18-year-old offensive lineman who weighs 305 pounds and stands 6-foot-6. Jones was then sent to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.
A freshman football player is in need of a heart transplant due to heart issues. The player, Johnnie "DJ" Jones, is an 18-year-old offensive lineman who weighs 305 pounds and stands 6-foot-6. He is from Venice, Florida.
His condition was discovered during freshman intake in the summer, and after two weeks of observation, the team sought a second opinion. Jones was then sent to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.
Further details about his condition and situation are available, including comments from his coach, Eli Drinkwitz, who discussed the situation at a news conference.
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Category: News Published: October 7, 2026 Source: WSB-TV (ABC) - News Reading time: 1 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? A freshman football player is in need of a heart transplant due to heart issues. The player, Johnnie "DJ" Jones, is an 18-year-old offensive lineman who weighs 305 pounds and stands 6-foot-6. He is…
When was this published? This article was first published on October 7, 2026 by WSB-TV (ABC) - News and curated for The Atlanta readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk at WSB-TV (ABC) - News. To learn more about how The Atlanta selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
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