Former Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul's Message to Those Down on Their Luck
Former New York Giants and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is about to participate in his second career Super Bowl, a game that if the odds had had their way, he wouldn't even be a part of.
But don't tell that to the 32-year-old Pierre-Paul, who has become one of Super Bowl LV's models for resiliency.
The former New York Giants first-round draft pick, who won a ring with Big Blue in Super Bowl XLVI when the defense smacked around Tom Brady (now Pierre-Paul's teammate in Tampa Bay) like whack-a-mole, has overcome a lot of personal strife to make it back to the NFL's biggest stage.
He overcame a 2016 fireworks accident that left his right hand permanently damaged, and he overcame a broken neck suffered in a 2019 car crash that he let heal on its own.
Pierre-Paul, who was traded by the Giants after the 2017 season, has 30.5 sacks in three seasons and is still playing at the top of his game. In explaining what resiliency has meant to him, Pierre-Paul said it's all a mindset one has to take.
"Resiliency to me is never giving up--being there for somebody when they really, truly need you and just being yourself in good times or bad times.
"I've been through a lot, and I just think happy thoughts. My father, just him being blind at around like 30, 31--he never quit. And to this day he's happy and joyful and still laughing and happy I'm in another Super Bowl."
Pierre-Paul then had a message for anyone out there who might be going through some rough times.
"There's going to be people that say, you can't do it because they can't do it, but in reality if you put your mind to it and put God first, you can do whatever you want to in life, no matter what," he said.
"No matter how hard is how hard it seems, just don't quit. It's easier said than done, but I never quit at anything in life I did. I'm going to give you everything I got until I, until I can't. And then once you can't, you will know that you can't, but that's not quitting; that's you just knowing yourself."
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