12:50pm: Wilson will be placed on the Bucs’ reserve-retired list, which leaves the door open for him to unretire later on, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.
12:23pm: While Jason Pierre-Paul attempts to make his way back to the Giants, another player involved in a Fourth of July fireworks accident may not see the field in 2015. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter), Buccaneers cornerback C.J. Wilson has decided to “step away from the NFL for now,” per agents Joel and Justin Turner.
Wilson, not to be confused with the defensive tackle who goes by the same name, hadn’t been expected to play a major role for Tampa Bay in 2015, but he did appear in two games for the team at the end of last season, logging some snaps on both defense and special teams.
However, on the same weekend of JPP’s much-publicized fireworks accident, Wilson lost two fingers in a fireworks accident of his own. A report last week indicated that the young defensive back was out of the hospital, doing well, and was “in very good spirits.” But while Wilson may be optimistic about his long-term health, it looks like he’ll be retiring from the NFL, at least temporarily.
Wilson’s decision to “step away” from the NFL is reminiscent of the language offensive tackle Anthony Davis used when he announced his decision to leave the 49ers in early June. It leaves the door open for Wilson to potentially return to the game down the road, if his health allows it.
Wilson, who had been in the final year of a two-year pact with the Bucs, will likely be placed on the non-football injury list or the reserve-retired list by Tampa Bay, unless the team decides to simply cut him.
We wish you well C.J. Wilson. Hope you are blessed and continue to stay positive