Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul kept the Giants away, and didn’t even talk to his teammates after losing a finger in a July 4th fireworks accident.
But former teammate Justin Tuck said he’s spoken with Pierre-Paul, and he’s confident the loss of his right index finger won’t harm his career.
“What I told JPP is go out and play football. I’ve been in constant conversation with JPP,” Tuck said, via Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. “He is [in good spirits]. He’ll be the first one to tell you he made a mistake. He’s fine. He’s going to have a great year. . . .
“I think he will be [successful]. Once he gets used to playing again, you can’t deny his athletic ability. He’s a terror to block. Hopefully everything else gets healthy around him and if that is the case, I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t be the JPP of the second half of the season like he was last year.”
Of course, the Giants don’t have first-person knowledge of that, since he didn’t let head athletic trainer Ronnie Barnes or team player-liasion Jessie Armstead in to see him at the hospital.
But he might have since made contact with the team, and other teammates expressed similar confidence he’d be OK.
“I’ve seen him do some ridiculous things with 10 fingers, I’m sure he can do some ridiculous things with nine fingers,” linebacker Mark Herzlich said. “He’s going to be able to.”
That part remains to be seen. But if Pierre-Paul is communicating with friends and teammates and his team, it’s likely a positive step for him.
