Jason Pierre-Paul suffered a fractured neck in a single-car crash last week, and it 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.
The accident occurred around 5 a.m. Thursday in Broward County, Fla., 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 of that year.
Pierre-Paul was traded from the New York Giants to the Buccaneers in March 2018, a year after signing a four-year, $62 million extension. He had 12.5 sacks, 20 quarterback hits and 16 tackles for loss in 16 games in 2018, his highest marks since 2014.