Patriots quarterback Mac Jones gave Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner a parting gift after Week 3: a private part-ing gift, that is.
In Week 3, the Patriots beat the Jets 15-10 at MetLife Stadium in a game that featured everything from sideline spats (this one didn't involve Mac Jones) and a near-completed Hail Mary attempt. Zach Wilson and the Jets couldn't muster the comeback victory despite getting the ball back several times in the final two minutes of the game. It was, as teeth-spitting Jets fans witnessed in the cold rain, a wholly disappointment from beginning to end.
The loss wasn't all pity and sadness for the down-bad Jets. There was also an exciting dose of good ol' fashioned chippiness that took place in the second half as Jets and Patriots players clashed in an on-field brawl.
Amid that brawl, Jets' Sauce Gardner alleges that Mac Jones intentionally hit him in Gardner's private parts. Gardner told reporters after the game, "[Jones] is trying to prevent me from having kids in the future."
This is not a fake quote.
Jets' Sauce Gardner thinks Patriots QB Mac Jones dealt a low blow
No flags were thrown during the play in question, and it's unlikely the NFL will investigate this further. In the heat of the moment and surrounded by throngs of players, Jones may very well have hit Gardner in the groin area, making a discreet attempt to taunt the Jets cornerback that went unnoticed by the referees. It would explain why Gardner shoved Jones after the play as a retaliatory gesture.
Jones addressed Gardner's allegations and didn't believe he did anything wrong during the game. Jones called the situation a "physical play" and was taken aback by insinuations that he dealt a low blow to Gardner.
Despite his denial, Jones' history isn't doing him any favors. Jones has absorbed the spotlight before for a dirty play on Bengals' Eli Apple and for viciously twisting Panthers' Brian Burns' ankle in the past.
The Patriots quarterback still managed to close out the win over the Jets and tally New England's first win of the 2023 season. It's a win marred by allegations of a downright dirty play, but a win nonetheless.