Jason Pierre-Paul Injury Update
By Eric Mollo
Reports are slowly emerging–detailing exactly what happened to Jason Pierre-Paul on July 4th. Thankfully, the situation does not look nearly as devastating as first thought. That’s as of right now. This story’s taken some serious twists and turns though, so there’s no telling what will change or what exactly has happened to this point.
But for now–here’s what we know as of now:
1. Reports indicate Pierre-Paul hasn’t lost any part of his hand.
Many were unsure if he was going to have both his hands and all his fingers as Twitter rumors were flying left and right. As of right now, reports are suggesting he sustained severe burns on his palm and some fingers and may have nerve damage in one of his fingers.
For now–that’s about what we know about his injury. Still quite severe, but thank goodness it was nothing more.
2. Pierre-Paul injured both of his hands
This, according to a report from Adam Schefter. One hand was injured more than the other, but the fact that both were affected obviously is not a good thing–no matter how severe.
3. Pierre-Paul was still in the hospital Monday morning.
No word yet on if he’s been released. But the fact he spent 36+ hours in a hospital is concerning. Not sure exactly what this means or if it’s a major precaution–or if it’s because they are treating both of his hands–but the longer he stays in the hospital, the more people are going to start asking questions.
For now, let’s just hope he’s OK and make sure to listen closely to reports as they emerge.
4. The Giants are “pleased” with his prognosis
This is the word we’re hearing directly from ESPN. It’s a little surprising the Giants would release a positive statement on Pierre-Paul’s situation if they didn’t feel, well, positive about what’s going on. That seems like a really good sign, given that teams typically remain mum and offer the formal “we have no comment at this time”-type of comment if the incident is really dire. It’s still serious, but the team’s reaction is a good sign.
5. The Giants pulled a long-term deal off the table following the injury
An NFL.com report indicates the Giants had a $60 million offer on the table for JPP that they have since rescinded.
That’s a very interesting detail in the midst of all of this. It shows the Giants were negotiating a long-term deal with Pierre-Paul when I think a lot of people thought the team may let him play on the $14.8 million franchise tender. Whether he was going to sign that deal is a big question–one I would say no to considering he probably could’ve cashed in bigger next offseason–but anytime $60 million is ripped from your grasp, it always sting.
The other half of this issue: Pierre-Paul has yet to sign that franchise tender. So yes, he was slapped with the franchise tag, but he hasn’t signed anything yet, so he’s technically not under contract with the team at this point.
6. It’s still too early to tell whether Pierre-Paul can and/or will be a Giant in 2015
Yes, his health comes first–and we certainly wish him the very best. But this is still a question running through Giants fans’ minds since it’s not clear how this injury will affect his playing ability and the fact that the team can rescind that $14.8 million if they want to. It’s too early to tell if Pierre-Paul will be ready for Training Camp, but I think it’s legitimate to ask if he will actually be invited back to Giants Training Camp following this incident.
Given all that’s happened in the NFL in the past year, teams are very concerned about their image, and I don’t think the Giants are just going to give Pierre-Paul a free pass after this one. I don’t think they have the same character concerns with Pierre-Paul as they did with Plaxico Burress–at least not that I’m aware of–but we know Tom Coughlin doesn’t take lightly to incidents like these.
Considering Pierre-Paul is a team leader and frankly, one of the top five players on the roster, I say he sticks, but it’s not ridiculous to ask at this point if Jason Pierre-Paul will be playing for a different team in September.
Next: Jason Pierre Paul : His Future with the Team