After initial reports suggested that Jason Pierre-Paul‘s injury wasn’t serious, word broke last night that the standout pass rusher was having his right index finger amputated. The shocking development not only complicates JPP’s expected recovery and his contract situation, but has also resulted in speculation about how confidential medical information was leaked – possibly violating HIPAA laws – to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who then published that info on Twitter.
Here are Thursday’s updates on JPP’s situation:
- It’s not clear why Pierre-Paul’s camp has kept the Giants in the dark about his health status, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. Vacchiano hears from a team source that the club never discussed the possibility of withdrawing JPP’s franchise tag, and simply wanted to assist with his recovery. “We really don’t understand why they won’t let us help him,” one club source said. “What are they trying to do?”
- Referring to Pierre-Paul’s decision to have his finger amputated, a person close to the defensive end tells Jordan Raanan of NJ.com that “it has nothing to do against the Giants.” As that source points out, JPP isn’t under contract with the team at this point, since he hasn’t signed his franchise tender. Still, it appears likely that the 26-year-old will rejoin the Giants at some point, and Raanan wonder how the relationship between the player and team will be affected going forward.
- In a separate piece at NJ.com, Raanan passes along word that Jackson Memorial Hospital has begun an “aggressive” investigation into the release of Pierre-Paul’s medical chart. “If we confirm Jackson employees or physicians violated a patient’s legal right to privacy, they will be held accountable, up to and including possible termination,” said Carlos A. Migoya, president and CEO of Jackson Health System. “We do not tolerate violations of this kind.”
- As Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) points out, the Giants will want Pierre-Paul to attend the team’s training camp to monitor his recovery progress, whereas JPP likely won’t want to sign his tender and report to camp until he’s fully healthy. According to Cole, if New York wants to get its top pass rusher to camp, the club may have to agree not to place him on the non-football injury list.