After losing a finger and a portion of two others in a Fourth of July accident last year, Jason Pierre-Paul is a man on a mission: Educate kids on the perils of fireworks.
According to the New York Daily News, Pierre-Paul is planning to do some type of public service announcements in the coming weeks to address the dangers of fireworks, which nearly cost him his hand and NFL career.
"Fireworks, they're very dangerous. You shouldn't play with them," said the Giants defensive end, who added that he won't even be in the United States to celebrate the Fourth of July this year.
"At first, I really didn't see it," Pierre-Paul said. "I'm a role model. With what happened to me, a lot of kids were like 'Dang, what's he going to do now?' When a role model tells you it's going to be OK, it's going to be OK. They look up to that."
Pierre-Paul is hoping he can reach kids as successfully as he chases down opposing quarterbacks. If so, his message is sure to have a lasting effect.
"Now I see things differently. It's a blessing for me to just reach out and touch the kids."