The NFL reportedly is investigating whether Mac Jones did, in fact, hit Sauce Gardner in his “private parts” during Sunday’s Patriots victory at MetLife Stadium. The league “is looking into” Gardner’s allegation, according to a report Monday from ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio. The New York Jets’ star cornerback told reporters after his team’s 15-10 home loss […]
The NFL reportedly is investigating whether Mac Jones did, in fact, hit Sauce Gardner in his “private parts” during Sunday’s Patriots victory at MetLife Stadium.
The league “is looking into” Gardner’s allegation, according to a report Monday from ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio.
The New York Jets’ star cornerback told reporters after his team’s 15-10 home loss to New England that Jones smacked him below the belt following a fourth-quarter quarterback sneak.
Jones initially was body-slammed to the turf by linebacker C.J. Mosley after he tried to fight through the whistle for extra yardage. Garner claimed Jones delivered a shot to his groin as he got to his feet, which prompted the 2022 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year to shove the QB back down.
“That’s probably the first time that ever happened to me,” Gardner told reporters after the game. “He had got tackled, and he reached his hand up to try to get me to help him up, and I just moved his hand out of the way. Then he gets up and he just comes up to me like, ‘Good job.’ While he said that, he hit me in my private parts, you know what I mean?
“I didn’t react how I really wanted to, but that was just the reaction that came. After that. I definitely wasn’t expecting that. First time for everything, I guess.”
Gardner later cracked that Jones — whose track record of borderline plays earned him a reputation as a dirty player — “was trying to stop me from having kids in the future.”
“He’s tripping,” Gardner told reporters.
Gardner also shared a video of the alleged infraction — which was not visible on CBS’ game broadcast — on social media Monday with the caption: “Posting this so I don’t get fined lol.”
The blurry footage doesn’t clearly show what transpired, but Gardner can be seen holding his crotch in apparent pain after the play.
Jones, whom the NFL fined twice for unnecessary roughness and once for unsportsmanlike conduct last season, denied crossing any lines with Gardner. Asked whether he believed he did anything wrong on the play, he replied: “Um, no.”
