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Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul suffers severe hand injury from fireworks

New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul will become the cautionary tale of not playing with fireworks.

Pierre-Paul, the Giants’ star defensive end who was given the franchise tag this offseason, reportedly suffered a severe hand injury during a fireworks accident on the Fourth of July holiday.

Andy Slater, a radio host in Miami for 940-AM WINZ, broke the news. Pierre-Paul was born in Deerfield Beach in South Florida and went to the University of South Florida. The report was confirmed by a few other outlets. TMZ later reported the injuries were to “some of his fingers and his thumb.” The injury happened while he was trying to light fireworks and he was treated at a hospital, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network said. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported the injuries might not be career threatening, and Pierre-Paul might not miss any games as he awaited more clarity from the doctors.

Pierre-Paul has not signed his franchise tender, which is worth about $14.8 million. Pierre-Paul did not attend mandatory minicamp in June, hoping for a long-term deal. The New York Daily News said the Giants technically could rescind the franchise offer, making Pierre-Paul a free agent, but added that is "a highly unlikely move."

Pierre-Paul has 42 career sacks, including 12.5 last season. He’s just 26 years old, and a big-time athlete who is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL when he’s on. He has been a little inconsistent in his career, but he should be just entering his prime and is the cornerstone of the Giants defense.

The Giants and Pierre-Paul now wait to see if his fireworks mishap will affect his career.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!