Jason Pierre-Paul reflects on 10th anniversary of Fourth of July fireworks accident, opens up about possible NFL return

Former NFL defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul isn’t embarrassed about what happened in the evening of Independence Day 2015. It was on that day — in Deerfield Beach, Fla., when Pierre-Paul experienced difficulty lighting the last batch of fireworks at a neighborhood party.

When the fireworks finally discharged, it cost him “2½” fingers on his right hand. This year’s Fourth of July marks the ten-year anniversary of the day that forever changed his life. He recently opened up about the accident with Jordan Raanan of ESPN.

“I wouldn’t want my kids to go through something I went through. … I learned from it,” Pierre-Paul said. “At the end of the day, I’m a big person, but this happened to me. It could happen to anybody. So put it out there. What’s to be embarrassed about? There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s just you live and learn from it.”

Pierre-Paul still remembers the drive to Broward Health North Hospital. The now 36-year-old said he was on the verge of fainting because of the amount of blood he was losing. He told doctors not to cut his hand off, though his right index finger was amputated.

The injuries he sustained in the accident didn’t slow him down. He played in 12 games the following season for the New York Giants, tallying 7.0 sacks. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers acquired him ahead of the 2018 campaign and two seasons later, he won his second Lombardi Trophy.

Jason Pierre-Paul seeking one final chance to play in NFL

Pierre-Paul played the second half of his career with a deformed hand. It’s just a part of his story beginning as a junior college standout, to USF, to becoming an All-Pro in the NFL. Now, Pierre-Paul uses the trauma he went through a decade ago as a teaching moment for his 10-year-old son Josiah.

“I tell [Josiah] straight up, listen, in life, some people are born with 10 fingers. Some people are born with disabilities. Some people are born with just natural gifts,” Pierre-Paul said. “And to have 10 fingers is a natural gift. You don’t know how you’re going to be created. You don’t know in life if you’re going to have trauma or you’re going to have dramatic changes but just be ready for it.

“And I explained to him… my daddy was blind since almost the day I was born. And look, I’m 36 now, and he’s still living. He got a smile on his face and that’s all I care about.”

Pierre-Paul last suited up in the NFL in 2023 with the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins. He currently has 94.5 sacks, and he admits he wonders where his numbers would be had the accident never occurred.

Pierre-Paul would welcome the opportunity to finish his career with 100 sacks — he’s just looking for a chance. Pierre-Paul said a return to the Giants, who selected him in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, would be “tremendous.”

“I think that’ll be dope. Tremendous,” Pierre-Paul said. “To go back somewhere where my career started… the fans know me and know the type of player that I am. I’ll always be that type of player and just give ’em everything I got, which I know it’ll be more than enough.”