Eli Drinkwitz discusses ‘rollercoaster of emotion’ surrounding DJ Jones’ heart transplant
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Eli Drinkwitz appeared on Thursday’s Paul Finebaum Show to discuss the heart transplant Mizzou freshman Johnnie “DJ” Jones received on Wednesday. All “went well” during Jones’ procedure, Drinkwitz said on social media on Thursday morning.
“It’s been a rollercoaster of emotion for us for about a week,” the Tigers’ head coach said.
Drinkwitz added that while things appeared “on the right path” for Jones after his initial diagnosis over the summer, he eventually needed to be hooked up to a machine as “time was of the absolute essence” for him to get surgery.
Eventually, Jones received his transplant, which lasted about eight to eight-and-a-half hours. He is now on the road to recovery, according to Drinkwitz.
“It’s been a really emotional time,” Eli Drinkwitz said. “Been so impressed and thankful with the fans of the SEC, so many people reaching out, so many giving and donating to his (SupportNow) page. So it’s been awesome to see the football community really rally around something that’s bigger than the game.”
As of Thursday evening, Jones’ SupportNow page had raised over $22,000 against a goal of $200,000.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
