Prior to playing what might have been his final game with the Giants, Jason Pierre-Paul revealed he needed additional surgery on his mangled right hand. That procedure took place on Monday, with Pierre-Paul posting a picture of himself on Instagram wearing surgical cap and gown, and included words of inspiration.
“Lord I absolutely believe you have the power to heal,’’ Pierre-Paul wrote. “If I can bring you more glory through healing, then that’s what I ask for.’’ His hashtags included #SurgeryDay, #ImSoReady and #JustTheBeginning.
The surgery was performed by the Giants’ hand specialist, Dr. Robert Hotchkiss, at the Hospital for Special Surgery. This is significant, as Pierre-Paul’s previous surgeries were in South Florida, without the Giants having any input.
The surgery, Pierre-Paul explained in late December, would concentrate on his right middle finger, which was turned into a bloated, oversized and largely unusable digit as a result of the July 4 fireworks accident that did permanent damage to his right hand. Pierre-Paul in the summer had to have his right index finger amputated — including the knuckle — and all that remained of his right thumb was a short stump. He missed the first eight games and wore a bulky, oven mitt-type club wrap on his right hand the final eight games of the season.
“The surgery is definitely going to help me a lot,’’ Pierre-Paul said on Dec. 30. “I can’t grip out of my middle finger, it can’t close right now. That’s the reason why I’m in the club. Once I have my surgery I’ll be fine. I’m excited to actually get it done. Something I knew I had to get done at the end of the season.’’
Pierre-Paul anticipated after the surgery he could resume his career wearing a glove instead of the club.
“Excited to rehab and get back to playing and not worrying about anything,’’ he said.
The rehab figures to be crucial to his football future, as Pierre-Paul is an unrestricted free agent. Co-owner John Mara recently said the Giants want to re-sign Pierre-Paul, but at the right price. If JPP can prove his grip is improved, it would greatly enhance his potential earnings. In eight games, he managed just one sack, along with 26 tackles, six passes defensed, two fumble recoveries and no forced fumbles.
“Get back to shedding offensive tackles,’’ JPP said of the goal for the surgery. “As you see on film you can see that the club is preventing me from making tackles. People see it. I see it. Once I move away from the club, I’ll be perfectly fine.’’
Pierre-Paul had 12.5 sacks in 2014 and the Giants put the franchise tag on him for the 2015 season — a designation that was lifted after the fireworks accident.
“My guess is, let’s face it, the Good Lord gave us fingers and a thumb for a reason,’’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said late in the season. “In this game, it’s good to have two hands to do things. When you’ve got one that you don’t use, there’s got to be times when it’s a disadvantage.’’
Pierre-Paul, 27, said he wants to finish his career with the Giants and declared his hand should not scare off the team, or any other potential suitors.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a major issue,’’ he said. “My hand hasn’t stopped me from playing. It’s stopped me from doing a couple of things but in reality that will be fixed.’’