Giants defensive endJason Pierre-Paul reportedly had his right index finger amputated Wednesday after a fireworks accident this past weekend.
Pierre-Paul suffered injuries to both of his hands as a result of the incident in South Florida and suffered severe burns and possible nerve damage.
ESPN’s Adam Scheftersaid Wednesday night that the amputation could actually help Pierre-Paul return to football “sooner rather than later.”
Legendary San Francisco 49ersdefensive back Ronnie Lott once had his broken pinkie finger amputated and continued to have a Hall-of-Fame career in the NFL. Defensive players, obviously, are in the business of batting footballs down and not normally receiving the ball. Unlike a wide receiver, Pierre-Paul could certainly continue to play at a high level without the use of his right index finger. Giants officials were not allowed to see Jason Pierre-Paul in the hospital this week after making the trip to South Florida.
According to ESPN, Giants officials never made it out of the waiting room to see Pierre-Paul in their visit. They reportedly did not ask “JPP” if they could visit him prior to their trip.
It is likely that Pierre-Paul will play the 2015 season under his $14.8 million tender, unless the Giants withdraw it.