Justin Tuck may no longer be a member of the New York Giants franchise, but he's apparently kept in close contact with former teammate Jason Pierre-Paul, who is currently recovering from a much-publicized Fourth of July fireworks accident which resulted in the amputation of his right index finger.
"What I told JPP is go out and play football. I've been in constant conversation with JPP," Tuck said Monday at the 4th Annual Newark Mentoring Movement Charity Golf Outing at Liberty National Golf Club, via Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
Pierre-Paul reportedly denied Giants officials access to himself and limited the scope of his communication to family after the incident and no other current teammate has come out and indicated that they've been able to speak with the big defensive end. Tuck, now a member of the Oakland Raiders, indicated that the man they call JPP is in good spirits despite the injury and resulting procedure.
"He is," Tuck said. "He'll be the first one to tell you he made a mistake. He's fine. He's going to have a great year."
That last part has already become something of a point of contention as some former players, like Hugh Douglas and Brian Baldinger, have come out and questioned Pierre-Paul's NFL future after the loss of his finger. Both Douglas and Baldinger expressed concern that JPP may never again be the type of impact player, capable of double digit sacks and continual disruption, he once was.
"I think he will be [successful]," Tuck said. "Once he gets used to playing again, you can't deny his athletic ability. He's a terror to block. Hopefully everything else gets healthy around him and if that is the case, I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be the JPP of the second half of the season like he was last year."
Pierre-Paul, still just 26, had 12.5 sacks last year, including 9.0 over the final five games of what amounted to a lost season for the Giants.
