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Giants Jason Pierre-Paul suing ESPN's Adam Schefter over released medical reports

Last offseason, when Jason Pierre-Paul injured his hand during a 4th of July mishap, Adam Schefter obtained his medical record and put them on social media. Pierre-Paul is taking legal action against Schefter for his actions.

By Dani Bostick

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Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

James Harrison is a man of few words. In July, however, he chose to speak up about the releasing of Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul's medical report on social media. If you recall, Pierre-Paul injured his hand in a Fourth of July mishap this past summer. As rumors of the gruesome details emerged, ESPN's Adam Schefter received some reliable information about the incident, in the form of health records.

Schefter chose to publicize those records, which confirmed the gravity of the incident. Pierre-Paul's hand was severely mangled, his index finger amputated. In his suit, Pierre-Paul contends, "This action arises out of ESPN reporter Schefter's blatant disregard for the private and confidential nature of plaintiff's medical records, all so Schefter could show the world that he had supporting proof a surgical procedure."

According to legal experts, victory is a long shot for Pierre-Paul. After all, he is a public figure and his injury was highly relevant to his career with the NFL. Schefter's report was of interest to the public. Furthermore, though medical professionals are bound by privacy and confidentiality guidelines, Schefter is not. Attorney Darren Heitner asked, "If the facts were true, it's very likely that this information would have broken soon thereafter. So what reputational harm is attached to this action by Adam Schefter?"

Regardless of the case's outcome, Schefter's actions have already upset other current and former NFL players. After the records were publicized, Harrison wrote this on Twitter:

Other players spoke out as well, though none as concisely and to-the-point as Harrison:

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