New York Jets star Sauce Gardner backs down from seemingly antisemitic comment

• Published date: 27 March 2024
• Author: JTA
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Gardner, 23, the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, had joined a livestream with online influencer Adin Ross, who is Jewish and has his own history of inflammatory comments. In a 29-second clip circulating online, Ross and Gardner are sitting in a room with several other people when Ross says, "A Jew sold it to me because I'm Jewish."

What he was referring to was unclear, but Gardner jumped in: "Imma be honest, like no funny weird shit," he said, before pausing and putting his hand over his face.

Gardner continued, "Y'all run the world. They got so much motion throughout the whole world. Y'all gotta see how they be walking in the airport."

Three of the men in the room laughed at Gardner's remark, along with Ross. One of the men can be heard saying, "That's facts."

On Tuesday, following accusations of antisemitism, Gardner posted a statement on X, formerly Twitter, claiming he was unaware of the negative connotations of his comments.

"I love all people," he wrote. "While my intentions were positive, I just learned that people use those exact words I shared for hate towards Jewish people. That is not what I am about and I appreciate those who took the time to educate me on that fact."

A few hours prior, in a post that has since been deleted, Gardner had also written: "I love all people; Including Jewish people. The majority of my agency/marketing team are Jewish. You probably just took what I said the wrong way but what I said was meant to be a good thing."

The New York Jets did not return a Jewish Telegraphic Agency request for comment.

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