When Jason Pierre-Paul’s family first emigrated from the war-torn country of Haiti, the last thing that was probably on their minds was one of their own winning a Super Bowl.
However, their son Jason having shown an aptitude for basketball was soon realized as an unreal football talent, something which got him fast tracked all the way to the NFL.
Now plying his trade at Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, we look at the obstacles this COC alumni had to overcome to make it to the top of his chosen sport.
Blind Faith
There are so many great stories of sportsmen who traveled from far afield to realize their American dream, and JPP’s family did that against all the odds.
Their re-settling process was made all the tougher by JPP’s father going blind soon after their arrival in the US, meaning that his wife not only had to look after the family, but also work multiple jobs.
JPP’s father has never witnessed his son play football, but he will no doubt be listening in this season as JPP, Brady and Gronkowski all try to defy their the NFL odds, which are particularly against them following a week 1 loss to New Orleans.
Three Leg Breaks
Long before JPP ever had designs on being a football player he was an athletically gifted baller.
Despite only playing basketball during his formative years, he still managed to break his leg three times playing the game, coming back stronger each and every time.
JPP already has one Super Bowl trophy in his locker, but can he add another one this season?
Do Not Play with Fireworks
When you are built like a tank as JPP is, it can sometimes be easy to think of yourself as invincible, and that misconception almost cost the linebacker his hand in 2016, when a firework he was handling led to him suffering serious injuries.
Even though one of his fingers was amputated after the incident, JPP was quickly back into the NFL fold.
Pierre-Paul suffered a career threatening car crash in his $350,000 Ferrari
Even a Broken Neck Could Not Stop Him
You would think that bust legs and mangled hands would be enough to put off most players from continuing the hard grind of daily training regimes, but JPP is not most players.
Arguably his worst injury occurred in 2019, when he crashed his Ferrari at high speed and suffered a fractured neck. However, not even this could slow him down, with the x2 Pro Bowl select recently pocketing a huge 2-year contract with the Bucs.
How he fares in the seasons to come is anyone’s guess, but our money would be on JPP and his new superstar teammates bringing the Bucs to the postseason at the very least. Not bad for a boy from war-torn Haiti.
