The New York Giants are expressing public frustration with Jason Pierre-Paul in the wake of his fireworks accident.
The defensive end, who suffered multiple thumb fractures and lost his right ring finger below the knuckle as a result of the accident, has yet to meet with anyone connected to the Giants. Team officials flew to Florida while Pierre-Paul was hospitalized earlier this month but were turned away.
"I don't think JPP is receiving very good advice right now," co-owner John Mara told the New York Post in his first public comments on the issue.
"He has told people that he's fine and he's going to be ready to play, but until we see the hand, we're just not sure."
The Giants will report to training camp on Thursday. Pierre-Paul, who has yet to sign his franchise tag tender, is not expected to be in attendance. Mara told the Post about his initial reaction to the news of the accident, which also left Pierre-Paul with severe burns that required skin grafts.
"Well, the first thought and concern we all had was for JPP's well-being. After that, I think I may have used some language that I wouldn't like my grandchildren to hear me use," Mara said. "I could not believe, that here we haven't even gone to training camp yet and we've lost two starters -- one (left tackle Will Beatty) in the weight room and one to a fireworks accident. So it was more of a state of disbelief that I was in.
"I've been around a long time, seen a lot of things ... but this one was a shock."
Mara said it was "very disappointing" that Pierre-Paul did not allow Ronnie Barnes (the team's senior vice president of medical services) or former Giants linebacker Jessie Armstead visit Pierre-Paul in South Florida after the accident. Mara said the two men "hung around for two days."
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