NFL star Jason Pierre-Paul has revealed new details about the Fourth of July fireworks accident that left his right hand disfigured and nearly ended his football career.
Pierre-Paul says the last thing he remembers before passing out at the hospital is doctors expressing doubt they could save his hand.
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The star New York Giants defensive lineman shared this and more in a recent interview with The New York Post. In the snippet below, Pierre-Paul describes the chain of events after he arrived at the emergency room.
Q: You passed out?
A: Yeah. I just told the doctor not to cut my hand and passed out.
Q: How long did you pass out for?
A: Probably a couple days, man. I was in and out a couple of days.
Q: Why did you tell the doctor not to cut your hand?
A: It’s easier to take a shortcut out. I knew for a fact that my hand … I might say it’s severely damaged or whatever, but I knew it wasn’t that bad, like I can still play football.
Q: When you said you told the doctor not to cut your hand, you mean the whole hand?
A: Yeah.
Q: You were afraid that he would cut the whole hand off?
A: Yeah. Even the doctors counted me out. They were like, “Yeah, we’re gonna have to cut his whole hand off” and, you know …
Q: Before you passed out, that’s what you heard them saying?
A: Yeah. “I don’t think we’ll be able to save it.” I knew that that wasn’t the best hospital to be at.
Pierre-Paul was one of two NFL players to suffer Fourth of July fireworks injuries. In September, paparazzi-style photos gave a hint his injuries. In late October, after signing a new contract with the Giants, Pierre-Paul let an Associated Press photographer snap close-up images of his right hand.
The player's right index finger was amputated, while his middle finger and thumb were disfigured in the accident. He now plays with a large protective bandage covering the hand, but has not produced much in three games.
Pierre-Paul also told the Post he'd been contacted by another man who was injured in a similar accident, but "lost nearly all his fingers." Messages like that have helped him maintain perspective.