NFL star's mangled hand doesn't keep him out of the gym

A hand mangled by a fireworks injury hasn’t stopped NFL star Jason Pierre-Paul from showing his strength in the weight room.

The New York Giants defensive end hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons last year when a fourth of July party went horribly wrong and threatened to end his career. A firework exploded in his hand, producing an eruption and a blinding light that engulfed his 1.96m frame.

The extent of the damage was quickly evident. What followed was a lengthy stint in hospital and numerous surgeries with half his thumb was removed, as was his index finger. Then the road to recovery  and a possible return to the field started.

He beat the odds and returned to the field last season with what was left of his hand wrapped in a swathe of bandages.

The  132kg giant has continued his remarkable recovery during the NFL’s off-season.

The latest sign was footage shot by US website TMZ Sports showing Pierre-Paul bench pressing 55kg weights with each arm.

A trainer lifted the weight into his deformed right hand, but once there he was able to hoist the dumbbell towards the heavens with relative ease.

Pierre-Paul recently told SI.com that the bloody aftermath of the incident was like something out of a movie.

“I’m looking at my [right] hand and I’m seeing every ligament,” he recalled. “You only see this stuff in the movies.”

The NFL season begins in September, and Pierre-Paul will be out to wreak havoc on opposing offences.