The gift of life came in the nick of time for an Ohio man.

WLWT, a Hearst station, first interviewed Mark Plummer in April 2022.

He was suffering from interstitial lung disease, an incurable lung disease that causes stiffening of the lungs, and his insurance would not cover the transplant he needed.

Less than a year later, he has a new set of lungs.

Doctors still don't know what caused him to develop the disease, but Mark Plummer said he is eternally grateful to the person who saved his life by being an organ donor.

"It is absolutely a second chance at life," he said. "We started calling it the gift."

Mark Plummer was admitted to a hospital in Columbus, Ohio, in early April. Family, friends and complete strangers helped pay the bill.

"I got donations from all over the country. We were amazed. Your story got picked up by stations all over the place," Mark Plummer said.

Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center covered the rest through financial aid.

Mark Plummer received his life-saving transplant on April 19.

"I was very, very, very sick, so my recovery was much rougher than most people," he said.

After the surgery, his kidneys went into shock. He was on dialysis for a month and spent a total of eight weeks in the intensive care unit. Then he spent time in rehab and another three weeks in Columbus for observation before heading home to Cincinnati.

"I knew he had it in him, but it was scary," Mark's wife, Linda Plummer, said. "I don't have to worry about him as much anymore. I don't wake up and — how loud is he breathing, is he breathing OK, checking his numbers."

He is now healthy enough to return to work and started a new job with Capabilities Driving School, teaching teens and young adults with disabilities how to drive. He is back to playing with his grandkids, including an adorable new grandson, and walking his two dogs around the neighborhood.

"I can pretty much do what anyone else can do, up to — I'm not ready to run a marathon yet," he joked. "Organ donation does save lives, and I'm sitting here talking to you as living proof that it really does save lives. And I'm looking forward to hopefully living at least another fifteen to twenty years because of that gift."

Now he plans to pay that generous gift forward.

"Why not? Why not pay it forward and help somebody?" Mark Plummer said. "Somebody helped me."

Several weeks ago, Mark Plummer saw a post on Nextdoor by a young woman named Bra'Naye Willis. She and her boyfriend rent an apartment at the Williamsburg Apartments of Cincinnati, and she was looking for advice. She said their apartment had no heat, there were leaks and air quality issues, among other problems.

"I had an asthma attack most recently in December because I couldn't breathe because of the air quality conditions," Bra'Naye Willis said. "It hurts me that people just really don't care about any of us."

The apartment complex has been in the news for months for a series of health and safety violations. The city of Cincinnati filed a lawsuit against the owners in January.

"Both her and her boyfriend, they suffer from lung issues, so that made a connection with me immediately," Mark Plummer said. "Someone who has asthma doesn't need to be in an environment like that."

He started a GoFundMe page for the couple to help them move somewhere else before their lease is up. He also made the first donation.

He is determined not to take his second chance at life for granted and said he is "eternally grateful" to the donor's family.

"On the worst day of their lives, they lost a loved one. That became the best day of my life," he said.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Urban Meyer first started thinking about the NFL about a decade ago.

He was getting phone calls from team owners. He was intrigued by the notion of testing his coaching skills at football’s highest level. He was ready to make the jump.

But he put it off time and time again, waiting for a situation that “had to be perfect.”

He feels as if Jacksonville has everything he needs to make the move successful: an opportunity to land a franchise quarterback, a chance to mold the league’s youngest roster and the financial support to provide players with the “best of the best.”

The Jaguars formally and virtually introduced Meyer on Friday, with the three-time national championship-winning coach saying, “I believe this is the place.”

“I’m not going to jump into a situation where I don’t believe we can win,” said Meyer, who won titles at Florida (2006, ’08) and Ohio State (2014). “I won’t do that.”

Here’s a rundown of Meyer’s first news conference with Jacksonville:

— Meyer plans to monitor his health, which was instrumental in him walking away from Florida and Ohio State. He stepped down at Ohio State in 2018 mostly because of a congenital arachnoid cyst in his brain, which required surgery in 2014 and bothered him throughout his final season with the Buckeyes.

“I’m not going to be running around like a nut on the practice field,” he said. “Those days are gone. I know what it’s supposed to look like and I want to be very demanding of everyone. It’s something I’m going to watch very closely. ... I had that surgery in 2014 that really helped things. But it’s just something that I watch very closely.”

— Meyer insisted he won’t coach at the college level again. Not at Texas. Not at Notre Dame. Not anywhere, ever.

“The times are changing. College football is different now,” he said. “The days of coaching the way you did back when I was at Bowling Green or when I was an assistant coach, I mean, the whole country has changed. Everything has changed, so you have to adapt. Those who adapt have success and those who don’t, fail.”

— Meyer declined to say which quarterback he will draft with the No. 1 pick in April. He mentioned Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Ohio State’s Justin Fields and BYU’s Zach Wilson as options.

“This is a monumental moment for this franchise and we’ve seen some franchises explode and we’ve seen others fail,” Meyer said. “I’ve said this many times throughout my career: When the NFL says it’s a quarterback league, I would say well so is college and so is high school and so is Pop Warner. It’s a quarterback sport. ...

“Who we pick at that quarterback spot, that’s going to be one of the most important decisions I’ve made in my lifetime, along with the partnership of our owner and general manager. ... I see some elite quarterbacks out there right now.”

— Owner Shad Khan is switching to a coach-centric model that will mean Meyer could have as much input, or more, as the general manager.

“The head coach really has to lead the kind of players he wants, the kind of team we need to be,” said Khan, who added the next GM could be announced in the next week or so. “And the general manager, myself, we have to support that vision. Somehow, someway that had been lost, and the idea here is really more about transparency, collaboration, teamwork and accountability.”

— Meyer clearly has a vision to upgrade Jacksonville’s football facilities. The Jaguars are one of the few NFL teams remaining that practice at their stadium. They don’t have traditional offices, much room to expand or any of the elaborate amenities others enjoy.

“People who work for me, with me, they all hear a statement of ‘Is this the best of the best?’ And if it’s not, then the question is, ‘Well, why?’ That’s the same thing that I’m doing every time I walk through everywhere. We did that at Ohio State. We did that at Florida. ‘Is this the very best?’ And if it’s not, especially when you start talking about player welfare and safety and just the players, let’s have a chat and do what’s very best.

“The Jacksonville players are going to get pushed. They’re going to get pushed. In return, we give them the very best. That includes the coaching staff.”

—Meyer also vowed not to raid Ohio State’s current coaching staff.

“I won’t do that,” he said. “Does that mean there might be one? Maybe. I’m not there yet. ... I’m not going to do that to that organization. And I’m not sure they would go. Ohio State is home to those guys now.”

WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The Lakota West High School football team heard plenty of hype this week regarding Friday night's game against visiting Princeton.

"We didn't want to talk about it; we were just going to be about it, is what I told the kids," Lakota West coach Tom Bolden said. "We let our game speak for itself tonight. Bottom line."

The Firebirds defeated Princeton 24-0, scoring all of its points in the first half, en route to their third consecutive win this season.

Friday night was also Bolden's 150th career win, according to the Lakota West athletic department. Bolden, in his third season at Lakota West, has a 150-27 career record in 16 years.

"A lot of fun," Bolden said when asked about the career milestone. "150 - that's pretty wild. A lot of great players. A lot of great memories with those players and coaches. That's pretty cool."

Lakota West (3-1, 2-0 Greater Miami Conference) had plenty of offensive firepower to start the game. Junior quarterback Mitch Bolden – Tom's son – found junior Ben Minich for a 49-yard pass connection in the first play from scrimmage.

The drive was completed when junior Tyler Bohn made a 37-yard field goal to give the Firebirds a 3-0 lead at the 7:27 mark of the first quarter.

Lakota West forced Princeton on a three-and-out on its opening drive before Mitch Bolden scored on a 41-yard touchdown run with 2:19 left in the first quarter to help give the Firebirds a 10-0 lead.

Lakota West junior defensive back Joshua Fussell's interception early in the second quarter helped to set up the Firebirds' third score of the night.

Bolden found senior running back Cameron Goode on a 16-yard screen pass to help give the Firebirds a 17-0 lead at the 6:55 mark of the second quarter.

Goode had 16 carries for 92 yards and the touchdown reception.

"They blitzed, just rolled to the left, and I just knew I wasn't going to get touched," Goode said.

Bolden threw his second touchdown pass of the night late in the second quarter when he connected with senior Jyaire Brown for an 18-yard score to help give the Firebirds a 24-0 halftime lead.

Lakota West had 299 yards of total offense. The Firebirds' defense limited Princeton to 45 yards passing.

Lakota West senior linebacker Aden Miller had a team-high 11 tackles.

"It was a very hyped game, but we just came here and balled out and calmed down," said senior defensive back Alex Afari. "Our coaches told us, 'Don't make this a bigger game than it should be.'"

Princeton (3-1, 0-1 GMC) was led by sophomore quarterback TJ Engleman, who had 25 carries for 95 yards. Senior linebacker AJ Nunley had a team-high 11 tackles, including one sack and a forced fumble.

Princeton coach Andre Parker said after the game the Vikings would continue to improve this season and he is confident the Vikings are going in the right direction.

Parker and Bolden said their respective teams need to clean up the penalties. Princeton and Lakota West were penalized nine teams each Friday night.

Princeton plays host to Fairfield Sept. 17. Lakota West is scheduled to play at Hamilton Sept. 17.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Oral Roberts welcomed the madness back to March.

The 15th-seeded Golden Eagles pulled off the first major upset of the first NCAA Tournament in two years, holding off second-seeded Big Ten power Ohio State 75-72 in overtime.

Oral Roberts got poised, impeccable performances from its two-star players, guard Max Abmas and forward Kevin Obanor, to become the ninth 15 seed to win a first-round game and the first since Middle Tennessee shocked Michigan State in 2016.

According to ESPN, Oral Roberts in the first lowest seed team to win an overtime game in the men's round of 64.

Obanor scored seven of Oral Roberts' 11 points in overtime, including two free throws with 13 seconds left, and finished with 30 points and 11 rebounds.

Abmas scored 29 points.

According to ESPN, 95% of brackets had picked Ohio State to defeat ORU.

The Golden Eagles (17-10) will play seventh-seeded Florida on Sunday.

WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Lakota West senior cornerback Jyaire Brown announced Friday afternoon he has committed to the 2022 All-American Bowl.

Brown, who is verbally committed to Ohio State, is the second Lakota West football player in the 2022 class to commit to the prestigious all-star game next January.

Lakota West senior offensive tackle Tegra Tshabola committed to the game in early May.

The All-American Bowl is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2022 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The game is scheduled to be televised on NBC at 1 p.m. ET.

The 2022 game is scheduled to be the first time two teammates from the same Greater Cincinnati high school program have been on the All-American Bowl roster together since former Taft defensive end Adolphus Washington and former Taft wide receiver Dwayne Stanford in 2012, according to the game's all-time participant list.

The All-American Bowl, formerly the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, has been played since 2001.

Lakota West is scheduled to open the season against St. Xavier Aug. 20 -- a rematch of last season's Division I regional final that St. X won at Lakota West.

Brown is the 10th Lakota West football player to be recognized as receiving an All-American honor, according to Lakota West sports information director Darren Walters. Tshabola was the ninth player on the list.

The past Lakota West football players include:

• Linebacker Jordan Hicks (Under Armour All-America Game)
• Offensive lineman Kevin Schloemer (Offense-Defense Bowl)
• Tight end Alex Smith (Offense-Defense Bowl)
• Center Ryan Kelly (Under Armour All-America Game, but did not play due to injury)
• Running back Mikel Horton (Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl)
• Offensive lineman George Asafo-Adjei (Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl)
• Cornerback Sean Mahone (Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl)
• Linebacker Xavier Peters (Under Armour All-America Game)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, a former Ohio State football player, reintroduced on Monday a bipartisan bill that would give college athletes the right to earn money through endorsements and sponsorship deals.

Gonzalez, R-Ohio, and Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., co-sponsored the Student Athlete Level Playing Field Act, which would give college athletes the right to be paid for the use of their name, image and likeness.

In a statement, the NCAA said it valued the bipartisanship of the bill.

“Their House bill will strengthen the college athlete experience and support the NCAA and its members to modernize name, image and likeness rules but not pay student-athletes or turn them into employees of their college or university,” the NCAA said.

It is the third bill related to NIL compensation in college sports to be introduced during this Congress, but the first with support from Democrats and Republicans. Six other lawmakers have signed onto the bill, three from each party.

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., introduced the Amateur Athletes Protection and Compensation Act in February. Earlier that month, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., introduced the College Athlete Economic Freedom Act.

Going back to December, Democratic Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut introduced the College Athlete Bill of Rights, which would regulate college sports well beyond NIL compensation and force some schools to share sports-generated revenues with athletes.

Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi also introduced a bill in December that some critics said was too NCAA-friendly.

The NCAA’s attempts to reform its bylaws and permit college athletes to capitalize on their names, images and likenesses have stalled, but several states have NIL laws scheduled to take effect July 1, including Florida and Mississippi.

The NCAA has warned that a patchwork of state laws would create confusion and competitive inequity, and is hoping for help from Congress in the form of a national NIL law.

“We are facing a tight deadline with state laws taking effect just around the corner,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “The time for action on this issue is now. Student-athletes have long deserved the right to profit from their NIL. Our bill would grant this right, while also protecting the integrity of the college sports system.”

Gonzalez, a receiver at Ohio State, was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2007 and played five seasons in the NFL.

Gonzalez and Cleaver’s bill is similar to one they introduced in September. In the new bill, however, athletes would be barred from endorsing certain companies and products, such as tobacco or casinos. But schools, conferences and the NCAA also would be prohibited from entering financial agreements with such companies.