Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul was in good spirits Friday, the first day he addressed the media following a horrifying Independence Day weekend fireworks incident which left him without his right index finger.
Everyone -- even Prince Amukamara -- seems to be getting used to the mangled remnants of Pierre-Paul's hand. The sixth-year veteran even laughed off a question about whether or not he'd need a special glove.
"Of course it's going to have a special glove," he said. "I'm missing an index finger"
When asked about his play on the field, he was the same person he's been for the past five seasons. He's fearless and bombastic and -- in all honesty -- really doesn't care about explaining an extremely gory and horrifying incident. Personally, I don't blame him.
"I'm still the same Jason Pierre-Paul," he said. "That hasn't changed. I've probably gotten even better. So you know, I'm ready to play football and help my team win."
Pierre-Paul added that he wasn't really scared when the accident happened -- it was his fiancée who freaked out. He kept the moment in perspective by noting that other people -- one as young as 20 -- died while he was in a Florida hospital seeking treatment.
He would not delve into more specifics, which likely means that the hour-long special is headed for prime time at some point down the road. Maybe then he'll have more input on why he initially refused to let the Giants see him in the emergency room. On Friday, Pierre-Paul said it was not his call, then he said it would not have been worth the Giants' time because he was on anesthetics.
"I don't know who was making my decisions," Pierre-Paul said. "It could have been the doctors, or whoever. That's old now, so..."
A bit alarming, but anyway, this seems like the preamble for an HBO special where we'll get more information trickling out about the night and the scene and the scope of the accident. Until then, we're left with the same old Jason Pierre-Paul, which, in the grand scheme of things, is a positive.
