Patriots Country

WATCH - Mac Attack: Did Patriots' QB Cheap Shot Jets' Sauce Gardner?

New England Patriots' quarterback Mac Jones is denying a charge from Sauce Gardner that he took a cheap shot at the New York Jets' star cornerback Sunday's 15-10 victory.

Richie Whitt

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Mac Jones' integrity is again being questioned by opponents, as New York Jets' star cornerback Sauce Gardner accused the New England Patriots' quarterback of intentionally hitting him in "my private parts" late in Sunday's game.

Jones threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to tight end Pharaoh Brown to help his team to a 15-10 win. But it was the quarterback's alleged cheap shot on Gardner that is now - again - putting him under the microscope as a dirty player.

With the Patriots facing 3rd and 1 from the Jets' 45 early in the fourth quarter, Jones pushed forward trying to get a first down on a quarterback sneak. He was stuffed by several New York defenders, but kept churning his legs after the whistle blew. It was a physical play, one that ended with New York linebacker C.J. Mosley slamming Jones to the turf.

As Jones got up, he - according to Gardner - reached his hand up to ask for help from the cornerback. When Gardner refused, Jones allegedly used his hand to take a cheap shot at his crotch.

“When he gets up (and) he just comes up to me like, ‘Good job.’ But while he’s saying that, he hit me in my ... he hit me in my private parts," Gardner said. "I definitely wasn’t expecting that. He's trying to stop me from having kids in the future."

Replays don't clearly show Jones taking a nefarious swipe at Gardner, but the cornerback does suddenly react - to something - by shoving the quarterback back to the ground. No penalties were called, and Jones is denying any wrongdoing.

"Um, no," Jones said when asked if he gave Gardner a low blow. "Just trying to get the first down. Definitely a physical play. A lot of guys are in there. It's kind of like the famous quarterback sneak that everybody does, and all the guys from both teams are in there, so it can get pretty physical."

This, of course, isn't the first time Jones has been accused of dirty play. In 2021 Carolina Panthers' defensive end said Jones intentionally twisted his ankle. Last season Chicago Bears' safety Jaquan Brisker said Jones purposefully kicked him. And Jones was fined during Week 16 in 2022 for a low block on the Cincinnati Bengals' Eli Apple during an interception return. He was also fined last season for flinging the ball into the midsection of Buffalo Bills' defensive lineman A.J. Epenesa.

Jones has steadfastly denied he is a dirty player, but even coach Bill Belichick has in the past refused to endorse some of his plays.

“Yeah, I'm not going to sit up here and comment about that,” Belichick said last season when asked about the criticism surrounding Jones.

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Richie Whitt
RICHIE WHITT

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