NFL makes decision on Mac Jones after Sauce Gardner incident

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones. Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports

NFL makes decision on Mac Jones after allegedly hitting Sauce Gardner below the belt

By Colum Dell | Last updated 9/30/23

Despite New York Jets cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner's best efforts to prove that Mac Jones of the New England Patriots struck him in the "private parts," the NFL will not take action against the quarterback.

The league fined a handful of players on Saturday for misconduct during Week 3, but Jones avoided punishment for his supposed actions in the Patriots' 15-10 win over the Jets, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

During the fourth quarter of that game, Jones was tackled by linebacker C.J. Mosley on a quarterback sneak and subsequently got in Gardner's face after the play was over when the alleged incident occurred. Gardner immediately shoved Jones and, after the game was over, told reporters that Jones had hit him below the belt.

On Monday, Gardner shared a video on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, of what appeared to be evidence to support his accusation, writing, "Posting this so I don’t get fined lol." However, the league apparently couldn't draw the conclusion from Gardner's video or the television broadcast that Jones committed the act.

Posting this so I don’t get fined lol pic.twitter.com/2KjcAVTNsW
— SAUCE GARDNER (@iamSauceGardner) September 25, 2023

"Any discipline would’ve required sufficient video evidence to support Sauce Gardner’s accusation, " Pelissero wrote on X. "In this case, there wasn’t enough."

This was far from the first controversial event the third-year signal-caller was involved in over the course of his career. As a rookie, Jones notably twisted the ankle of Carolina's Brian Burns after the outside linebacker recorded a strip sack. Last season, Jones kicked Bears safety Jaquan Brisker in the groin while sliding and was also fined twice for unnecessary roughness acts in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Jones has naturally been subjected to backlash from fans and former players in the wake of his latest incident, and when speaking to WEEI on Monday, the 25-year-old didn't deny the allegations, claiming "nothing was intentional."

“Sauce is one of the best corners in the NFL. I have a lot of respect for him," Jones said via ProFootballTalk. "On that play, nothing was intentional. I just got up and went back to the huddle, and that’s it.”

Considering Jones has quickly developed a reputation as a dirty player, it's a bit surprising that he escaped any type of punishment from the league.

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