When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kick off the 2019 season in just a few short months, they may be missing a key defensive player.
Last week, Bucs defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul was involved in a single vehicle crash in South Florida. As a result, his status for the 2019 season is in jeopardy.
On Saturday, CBS reported the crash occurred in Broward County. On top of that, they mentioned that Pierre-Paul received treatment from a nearby hospital before being released in the early morning hours of May 4th.
Today, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted that Pierre-Paul suffered a fractured neck and would be meeting with specialists this week. The hope is that at least some of his season can be salvaged.
Tampa DE Jason Pierre Paul suffered a potential season-ending fractured neck injury in a single-car accident last week in south Florida, league sources tell ESPN. Pierre-Paul will visit neck specialists this week to get their opinions to see if there’s hope to save this season.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 7, 2019
Specific details surrounding the accident remain unknown at this time. However, this could mark the second time in 4 years that Pierre-Paul has suffered a non-football injury to end his season. In 2015, Pierre-Paul lost parts of 3 fingers on his right hand in a July 4th fireworks accident. This injury caused him to miss the entire 2015 season while he was a member of the New York Giants.
Jason Pierre-Paul was one of few bright spots in the Tampa Bay defensive unit in 2019, logging 12.5 sacks. This ended the notable stretch of 13 seasons for the Bucs without a player recording double digit sacks. None had done so since Simeon Rice’s 14 sack 2005 campaign.
