NFL star's finger reportedly amputated after fireworks accident:mashabl.com

One of the most coveted defensive players in the NFL reportedly had to have his right index finger amputated thanks to a Fourth of July fireworks accident, according to reports Wednesday evening.
But Jason Pierre-Paul's apparently obliterated finger isn't even the juiciest part of this story — no, the most interesting part is how the world came to know about his demolished digit.

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Pierre-Paul is a defensive end for the New York Giants. The 26-year-old is a two-time Pro Bowler, and was first-team All-Pro in 2011. The Giants recently stuck him with their "franchise tag," which means the team plans to build around him longterm and guarantees him one of the league's best salaries at his position.
Then came this year's Fourth of July, after which reports emerged that Pierre-Paul had "severely" injured a hand in a fireworks accident. Subsequent reports walked those early reports back, reporting that his injury was not as bad as initially reported.
But on Wednesday night, ESPN's Adam Schefter dropped the report of all reports. Schefter tweeted that he had "obtained" medical charts showing that Pierre-Paul's right index finger was amputated earlier that day.

ESPN obtained medical charts that show Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul had right index finger amputated today. pic.twitter.com/VI5cbS1uCw

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 8, 2015

This drew two main reactions from NFL observers:

1. Holy crap! Jason Pierre-Paul had to have his finger amputated!?
2. Um, you can just tweet out a photo of someone's private medical records?

Did ESPN go too far?

Many observers criticized Schefter for reporting Pierre-Paul's operation by tweeting out a photo of his private medical records. This was seen by some as both an invasion of Pierre-Paul's privacy, and potentially burning whatever source sent the information Schefter's way.

How does ESPN obtain and leak the pics of JPP medial charts? Is that even legal?

— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) July 8, 2015

What does Schefter gain by posting the picture rather than just reporting it straight? And not jeopardizing his source's job?

— Barry Petchesky (@barryap1) July 8, 2015

@AdamSchefter you guys are scum. You should be ashamed of yourself.

— Chris Needham (@CYNeedham) July 8, 2015

If you happened to see the acronym HIPAA trending on Twitter on Wednesday night, it was thanks to the saga of Pierre-Paul's finger. HIPAA is the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Among other things, it protects the privacy of people's medical records. When someone references "doctor-patient confidentiality," this is what they're talking about.
So that's why HIPAA became such a hot Twitter topic; surely, ESPN must have violated HIPAA in some way by sharing Pierre-Paul's records, right? Doing so carries a maximum fine of $50,000. But ESPN is likely in the clear here, according to sports law expert Michael McCann. Whoever provided the documents, however, could be in trouble if they did so without Pierre-Paul's consent.

HIPAA doesn't apply to media who obtain medical records of others. Invasion of privacy does, but 1st Amendment offers a good legal defense.

— Michael McCann (@McCannSportsLaw) July 8, 2015

In one view, it's Schefter's job — which he does extremely well — to break news when he has it. But to take the other side, it's not hard to see why some thought his tweet was out of bounds.
Meanwhile, Pierre-Paul isn't even the only NFL star whose fingers fell victim to fireworks this week. The father of Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback C.J. Wilson told a local hometown TV station his son lost two fingers in a Fourth of July accident.