According to the source, the defensive end discussed his options with his medical team and family members, and decided that the amputation was the best decision for his health and his career.

Schefter tweeted medical records that showed the procedure occurred Wednesday afternoon. He reported that a medical source expects Pierre-Paul to play this season, however, and “sooner than people think.”

Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter Wednesday night that the Giants’ Jason Pierre-Paul has had his right index finger amputated because of a fireworks accident in Florida over the July 4 weekend.

According to sources, team officials flew to Florida to determine how extensive his hand injuries were, but never made it out of the waiting room to see him.


The 26-year-old had an excellent season in 2014 and the Giants used the franchise tag on him. Pierre-Paul is technically not under contract as he has not yet signed his one-year franchise tender.

The deadline for franchised players to agree to long-term contracts is July 15. If a deal can’t be reached by then, Pierre-Paul would have to play under his $14.8 million tender, unless the Giants decide to withdraw it.

Meanwhile, the father of Tampa Bay cornerback C.J. Wilson told a Charlotte television station that his son lost two fingers in a July 4 fireworks accident.

Curtis Wilson Sr., appearing on WBTV, said the fireworks did not pop out of the canister when they exploded.

The Buccaneers had confirmed that Wilson injured one of his hands in the accident. And his agent also told ESPN the incident involved fireworks.

The team said in a statement its ‘‘primary concern at this moment is for his long-term health.’’

Wilson was injured near his hometown of Lincolnton, N.C. He played at North Carolina State and has appeared in four NFL games over two seasons, two coming last year with the Bucs.


Wilson, 25, is in the final season of his two-year deal that carries a nonguaranteed base salary of $585,000 for the 2015 season. He appeared in two games last season and was credited with four tackles.

Hardy will fight

Cowboys defensive Greg Hardy isn’t pleased with his 10-game suspension, but he has not lost the will to keep fighting it.

A source close to Hardy told ProFootballTalk Wednesday that Hardy will challenge in court an arbitration ruling that imposes anything more than a two-game suspension against him for violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Under the version of the policy in place when Hardy allegedly engaged in domestic violence, the standard penalty for a first offense was a two-game suspension without pay.

After NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he “didn’t get it right” in punishing the Ravens’ Ray Rice two games for a domestic violence incident, the NFL strengthened its approach to such violence. Hardy and the NFL Players Association contend that the NFL applied new rules retroactively to him.

“Greg has every intention of taking whatever legal steps are necessary,” the source said. “Nothing has changed on our end.”

Trademark canceled

For the first time in a legal battle that has stretched over 20 years, a federal judge in Alexandria, Va., ordered the cancellation of the Redskins’ trademark registration, ruling the team name may be disparaging to Native Americans.

The ruling does not bar the team from using the Redskins name if it wishes. The team could even still sue for trademark infringement, but winning such a case could prove more complex without the legal protections that come with a federally registered trademark.


Redskins president Bruce Allen said the team will appeal.

‘‘We are convinced that we will win because the facts and the law are on the side of our franchise that has proudly used the name Redskins for more than 80 years,’’ Allen said in a statement.

US District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee’s ruling upholds an earlier finding by an administrative appeal board and orders the federal Patent and Trademark Office to cancel the registration. A group of Native American activists first challenged the trademark registration in 1992, and various administrative boards have ruled against the team before. But Wednesday’s order is the first time that a federal judge ruled against the team and found that the name may be disparaging.

The team had sued in federal court in Alexandria seeking to overturn a ruling last year by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. It argued that the name honors Native Americans and that canceling the trademark infringes on its free-speech rights because it requires the government to judge whether the name is offensive.

Graves a senior VP

The NFL has hired Rod Graves to be a senior vice president of football administration and club services.

Graves will oversee all club- and game-related initiatives related to the Competition Committee, general managers and head coaches.

Graves’s other responsibilities will include strategic development for coaching, scouting, and officiating, the NFL combine and college relations.


A long-time Cardinals executive and general manager, Graves spent the past two seasons with the Jets as senior director of football administration.