Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul suffered a possible season-ending fractured neck in a single-car accident last week in South Florida.
Pierre-Paul, 30, will likely need surgery and will be visiting with neck specialists at some point this week to get their opinions. The accident occurred early Thursday morning in Broward County. Pierre-Paul sought medical attention at a hospital and was released. He was not cited for the accident.
Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said in a statement: “we have been informed that Jason was involved in a one-car accident early this morning in South Florida in which he was not cited. We know that he was evaluated at a local hospital and has since been released. Our immediate concern is for the safety and well-being of Jason and his passenger. We have been in contact with Jason and will be getting him further evaluated by our medical staff in the near future.”
The Bucs were counting on Pierre-Paul, who had 12.5 sacks last season — the first time a Bucs player had reached double-digit sacks since Simeon Rice in 2005. Six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy has not been present for the first month of the offseason program due to team concerns over his $13 million price tag and the fact that the Bucs currently have less than $2 million in salary-cap space. There had been widespread speculation that the Bucs were attempting to trade McCoy but given the situation with Pierre-Paul they may need to keep him.
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