Jason Pierre-Paul has finally shown his hand to the world — and it doesn’t look good.
In shocking photos, obtained exclusively by the Daily News on Thursday, Pierre-Paul’s mangled right hand is completely visible for the first time, with no large bandage obscuring the extensive damage. In the photos he is clearly missing his right index finger and has small bandages on his middle finger and thumb.
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It’s impossible to tell if the thumb, as reported, is missing the tip. But it doesn’t appear that the hand has healed anywhere near enough for JPP to return to lifting weights or doing football activities any time soon.
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Still, the Giants haven’t ruled their unsigned “franchise player” out. And after taking a quick glance at the photos on Thursday, defensive end Robert Ayers said a JPP return wouldn’t be a surprise at all.
“Actually, I don’t need to see (the pictures) to know he can play with it,” Ayers told the Daily News.
“You know, I think you can play with no fingers at all in my personal opinion. You’ve seen guys play with big casts on their hands, literally, so it’s proven. Is it a bonus (to have all your fingers)? Yes it is. But is it impossible to play with no hands? No. You’ve got people doing things today that are unspeakable. You’ve got guys running in Olympics with no legs. You’ve got guys doing all types of things.
“His heart is what’s going to get him through this, not his hand — or lack of hand, or whatever you want to call it,” Ayers added. “That’s how I view it.”
JPP seems to agree, and he’s been on a Twitter rampage the last few days to prove it. On Tuesday he posted a video of himself working out, in an attempt to prove that he’s working hard to get back in football shape. Then on Thursday he tweeted a message to his critics: “I can’t think of the last time my index finger got me a sack.”
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Just how important that index finger — and the rest of his damaged hand — is remains to be seen, and the Giants are at least skeptical about his ability to play again any time soon. Last week they got their first up-close look at his hand since his July 4 fireworks accident and, according to a team source, the damage was far worse than reports had indicated. He was known to have lost his right index finger, fractured his thumb and suffered other burns. Reportedly, he lost part of his thumb and suffered damage to his middle finger, too.
After his visit, a high-ranking team official was asked if JPP would be able to play again this season, and he answered, “We just don’t know.”
The Giants’ plan is to re-evaluate their pass rusher sometime in October and then decide how to proceed from there.
In the meantime, JPP’s unsigned, $14.813 million franchise tag remains on the table, and a team source said the Giants still have no intention of withdrawing the offer. Pierre-Paul, according to a source familiar with his plans, does not intend to sign the tender until he’s sure he can convince the Giants that he’s ready to play.
In the meantime, the offer shrinks by $871,352 every week JPP is absent. That’s also the same amount the Giants are refunded under the NFL’s salary cap.
JPP: I DON’T NEED INDEX FINGER TO SACK QUARTERBACK
Of course, given the pathetic state of the Giants’ pass rush, they’d much rather have Pierre-Paul than the money, especially if he can return as anything close to the player he was last season, when he led the Giants with 12 1/2 sacks. There are certainly plenty of people in the Giants’ organization that doubt he can return and be that kind of dominant pass rusher.
Ayers, though, insists it would be a mistake to rule that out.
“You can’t measure someone’s heart,” Ayers said. “Like I said, you got guys with no legs that are winning marathons and doing all types of things. You got little kids that are sick and accomplishing other things. So you know, if his heart is in it, I think he can do anything.
“And I think his heart will be in it.”
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