Jason Pierre-Paul Recalls Fireworks Accident in Sports Illustrated Interview

New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul spoke out in an interview Monday with Sports Illustrated about his Fourth of July fireworks accident last offseason. 

Sports Illustrated posted video of Pierre-Paul recalling the career-altering incident:

Pierre-Paul had his right index finger amputated and appeared in eight games in 2015, registering 26 combined tackles and one sack.

The 27-year-old's account of the fireworks accident seemed innocent enough, as he explained that setting off fireworks was an annual Independence Day occurrence. 

To conclude the video, Pierre-Paul implores people to move on from the incident, but it will likely continue to be a part of his narrative regardless of what happens on the football field.

In the second part of the interview with SI's Jason Buckland released Tuesday, Pierre-Paul recalled trying to light a fuse seven times before it finally exploded to the shock of witnesses.

"I remember a big flash, and I heard boom!" Farraw Germain, the mother of Pierre-Paul's then eight-month-old son, Josiah, told SI. "There was a lot of smoke."

The Giants star added: "I'm looking at my [right] hand and I’m seeing every ligament. You only see this stuff in the movies."

Germain and Pierre-Paul immediately rushed to the hospital, where he'd stay for two-and-a-half weeks, using the alias "Don X," according to the report. He also denied turning Giants personnel away, stating it was a family decision as he recovered: "If I knew they were there, I'd be like, 'Let 'em in.'"

Looking back at how things have changed since last July 4, Pierre-Paul stated the incident gave him an entirely new perspective.

"I have no regrets at all [about the accident]," he told SI. "I carry myself differently. I look at things differently. I try not to put myself in horrible situations anymore. I have a lot of people depending on me—even people I didn't know depended on me."

He concluded: "I could dwell on it, like, 'Damn, I wish I had that finger,' but when I look in the mirror, I'm happy. Thank the Lord—it could have been worse."

If he returns to the dominant form he showed with 16.5 sacks in 2011, Pierre-Paul is going to be viewed as a tremendous comeback story. Should JPP perpetually struggle and not return to an elite level of play, all of it will be attributed to the accident.

Although his sack numbers weren't up to snuff last season, a couple of factors are to blame. Firstly, Pierre-Paul had to get back into gridiron game shape, which is no easy task. Then, of course, he had to adjust to playing with his damaged hand.

Per Pro Football Focus, Pierre-Paul led all edge defenders in 2015 with six batted passes. He was still having a considerable impact as he tried to figure out how to produce more as a pass-rusher, so there's reason to believe Pierre-Paul can make the proper adjustments moving forward.

Racking up big numbers in the coming years will at least somewhat overshadow the scary situation that could have potentially ended Pierre-Paul's career.