Few in the football world understand the battle Jason Pierre-Paul has in front of him after having his right index finger amputated following a July 4 fireworks accident.
One man who knows a thing or two about losing digits is Hall of Fame defensive back Ronnie Lott, who had the tip of his pinky finger amputated in 1986.
On Friday, Lott joined The Rich Eisen Show to discuss the challenges JPP will face in his recovery.
"He's going to be in a lot of pain. ... There is pain and there is pain," Lott said, via NJ.com. "Anytime you hurt around the foot or the hand, the pain is much different. For him, the pain of going through the amputation, the pain of having it numb or having it become un-numb and the fact that when you go through all of that, there is the pain. And then the pain of learning how to play with it, not to play with it, the things you can do, the pains of struggling with it. All those pains to me are the things that make it challenging."
"(The pain) is the one thing I think he'll struggle with," Lott said. "The other thing for him, he'll be able to play with it and deal with it, but the moment of not seeing it, the moment of looking at your hand and looking down and realizing and you have that phantom where you see your finger and don't see it.
"There are a lot of things emotionally that he'll have to deal with and he'll have to learn and understand it's not there and will play tricks on his mind."
Playing defensive back with an amputated pinkie and trying to fight through 320-pound offensive linemen to grab a quarterback without an index finger are two completely different tasks, but Lott had some final words of encouragement for JPP.
"It will get better," he said. "You will be able to function. Don't lose your spirit and understand that is not going to impede your greatness. If anything, it's going to enhance your greatness and you'll find yourself competing at a high level.
"In his case, he'll be another one realizing that with 9.5 or 9 fingers, he can still go to the Pro Bowl."
The latest Around The NFL Podcast breaks down the latest news surrounding Jason Pierre-Paul's injury, as well as the Mettenberger and Watt feud. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
