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Jason Pierre-Paul’s Injured Hand Is Ready for Its Close Up

Hope you can stomach it.

Those who are faint of heart or squeamish should look away.

On Friday, New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul gave the media a close-up shot of his mangled right hand, stemming from a July 4 fireworks accident, and it's not pretty. The shot clearly shows that the index finger on his right hand has been completely amputated, as previously reported, with a chunk of his right thumb and middle finger missing and his ring finger badly swollen and disfigured. To see a close-up shot of his hand, click here.

Speaking to reporters for the first time since having his index finger amputated, Pierre-Paul briefly relived the fireworks accident with ESPN and other reporters crowded around his locker.

"It wasn't frightening at all," Pierre-Paul said. "I am not going to go into detail with it. It is something I do every year for the kids. It just happened. I did it for six, seven years. I live and learn from it and moved on."
He added: "I wasn't worried at all. I wasn't in shock or nothing. I looked at my hand and my fiancee was going crazy, but I kept calm through the whole situation."

Pierre-Paul is expected to play at some point this season, although his exact return date hasn't been specified just yet.
He'll need to wear a four-fingered glove on his surgically-repaired right hand.

"I am the same JPP that I was last year," he said. "There is not going to be a major adjustment. As far as my hand goes, I will get used to it. I am just fortunate enough to play football again."

Pierre-Paul had 12 and a half sacks last season, becoming a Pro Bowl selection.

BET Sports News — Get the latest news and information about African-Americans in sports, including weekly recaps, celebrity news and photos of your favorite Black athletes.

(Photo: Michael Thomas/Getty Images)

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