Reports: 2 NFL players lose fingers in fireworks accidents
Two NFL players involved in fireworks accidents over the Independence Day weekend -- New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and Tampa Bay cornerback C.J. Wilson - have apparently lost their fingers.
ESPN's Adam Schefter, citing medical charts, reported that Pierre-Paul had his right index finger amputated on Wednesday.
Pierre-Paul mentioned fireworks in a video posted to Instagram on Saturday, taken as he held a baby in a street near a parked rental van.
CBSSports.com notes that the person who leaked Pierre-Paul's medical charts to ESPN could be facing legal trouble. Michael McCann, a legal analyst for Sports Illustrated, said that if Pierre-Paul didn't consent to having the chart released, then someone could be looking at a $50,000 fine for violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA).
Meanwhile, the father of Wilson told a Charlotte television station that his son lost two fingers in a July 4 fireworks accident.
Curtis Wilson Sr., appearing on CBS affiliate WBTV, said the fireworks did not pop out of the canister when they exploded.
The Buccaneers had confirmed that Wilson injured one of his hands in the July 4 accident. And his agent also told ESPN the incident involved fireworks.
In a statement Wednesday, the team said its "primary concern at this moment is for his long-term health."
Wilson was injured near his hometown of Lincolnton, North Carolina. He played at North Carolina State and has appeared in four NFL games over two seasons, two coming last year with the Bucs.
Maj. Lee Caskey of the Lincoln County sheriff's office said there was no call for an ambulance or emergency medical care that night, though a fire department and the sheriff's office were eventually called to a hospital where Wilson had been taken for treatment.
Caskey didn't have details about Wilson's injury.
Boger City Fire Department Chief Mitch Burgin said firefighters responded to a report of a fire in a car parked at the hospital that night, though it was out by the time they arrived.
In an email to The Associated Press, Burgin said hospital staff put out a fire in the vehicle's trunk with extinguishers. Firefighters later arrived, removed "a smoldering pair of pants" from the trunk and "used water to completely extinguish" the pants.
Lincoln sheriff's Lt. William Brooks said he and others from his department also responded to the scene and saw blood inside the vehicle.
"There's not any kind of criminal investigation or anything going on into it," Brooks said. "It all appears to be just a bad accident."