The Sports Xchange

The first photos of Jason Pierre-Paul’s damaged hand surfaced Thursday and they showed most of his right index finger and part of his thumb missing and a bandage over his middle finger.

The New York Daily News published the photos of the New York Giants defensive end, whose hand injuries were caused by a fireworks accident on the Fourth of July. He has had surgical repairs and the index finger amputated since the incident and remains away from the team.

In previous photos, Pierre-Paul was wearing a bandage that made it difficult to determine the extent of the damage. After the accident, he refused to allow the Giants to evaluate the hand until last week.

Pierre-Paul finally visited the Giants for an examination and then returned to his home in south Florida to continue to work out. He hopes to recover to play yet this season, but the photos revealed damage that cast some doubt about whether that’s feasible.

Pierre-Paul remains resolute, saying on social media Thursday, “I can’t think of the last time my index finger got me a sack.”

The Giants placed the franchise tag on Pierre-Paul during the offseason and he has yet to sign a contract. He had 12 1/2 sacks last season.