Mac Jones is at the center of another controversial moment. Former NFL defensive end Chris Long has seen enough to identify a pattern.
New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner accused the New Patriots quarterback of hitting him in the private parts after the whistle during Sunday’s game. He posted an inconclusive video of the incident, which ended in the second-year star shoving Jones.
Long, who played for the Patriots in 2016, responded to the clip by calling Jones one of the “top five dirtiest QB all time.”
Top 5 Dirtiest QB all time. Conrad Throwbler. https://t.co/0Se2QuOfrl
— chris long (@JOEL9ONE) September 25, 2023
Although there appeared to be a brief interaction before the push, the video doesn’t quite prove anything. But Gardner explained his side of the story following Sunday’s 15-10 loss.
“He got tackled. He reached out to me to get me to help him up,” Gardner recalled, per MassLive’s Chris Mason. “I just moved his hand out of the way. He got up and then came up to me like ‘Good job.’ While he was saying that, he hit me in my private parts. I didn’t react like I really wanted to. I definitely wasn’t expecting that. First time for everything I guess.”
This isn’t the first controversial incident that’s led observers to label Jones a “dirty” player.
Carolina Panthers defender Brian Burns accused the quarterback of twisting his leg during a game in 2021. The following year, Jones kept his foot up on two questionable slides against the Chicago Bears. Peyton Manning called out Jones for kicking Jaquan Brisker “right in the jewels.”
According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, the league will review the latest situation with Gardner.