Tuesday 7 May 2019 20:06, UK
Jason Pierre-Paul suffered a fractured neck in a car crash last week, which could keep the defensive end off the field for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday.
The 30-year-old will visit neck specialists for opinions on when he could play again, Schefter said, and the Buccaneers issued a statement confirming the evaluation process is ongoing.
"As we stated last week following the news of Jason's auto accident, our immediate concern was for both Jason and his passenger," the statement read.
"While Jason was treated and released in south Florida the same day of the accident, we wanted to ensure that our medical team had an opportunity to perform a thorough evaluation here in Tampa, and that process is currently ongoing."
The accident occurred around 5 am on Thursday in Broward County, Florida, and Pierre-Paul was taken to the hospital and released later that day.
"Our immediate concern is for the safety and well-being of Jason and his passenger," general manager Jason Licht said last week.
"We have been in contact with Jason and will be getting him further evaluated by our medical staff in the near future."
Pierre-Paul was not ticketed.
He missed time due to an off-field injury in 2015, when he lost a finger and part of a second finger in a fireworks accident in Miami on July 4 that year.
Pierre-Paul was traded from the New York Giants to the Buccaneers in March 2018, a year after signing a four-year, $62m extension.
He had 12.5 sacks, 20 quarterback hits and 16 tackles for loss in 16 games in 2018, his highest marks since 2014.
