Sauce Gardner apologized Wednesday for his reactions to people on social media earlier this week.
After Sunday's 31-6 loss to the Cardinals, Gardner fired back at reporters and fans, and a direct message he sent someone went viral.
None of that reflected well on the 24-year-old Jets cornerback.
“It's my responsibility. I can't express emotion or say certain things on social media because I'm the leader of the team and I'm the leader of the defense,” Gardner said. “I know very well. My coaches know that I know very well. My teammates know that I know very well. I have to be better. Obviously, things aren't going the way we expected. But what I can say is that we're going to do everything we can to change that.”
Gardner, who was named All-Pro in his first two seasons, is having a down year.
After the Cardinals game, that frustration seemed to spill out on social media.
Gardner said he deleted X from his phone earlier this season, but went back to look for his DMs and ended up going down a “rabbit hole.”
“Where I come from, I’m a really down-to-earth guy,” Gardner said. “So sometimes I don't really understand who I really am, Sauce Gardner for the New York Jets, and just me, and I'm a cool person, and I don't like certain people. I just do certain things and say certain things. That's why I regret sending them DMs. It's not a direct reflection of the type of person I am. I know I'm a humble person and I mean that in a good way. I know I'm a leader and I want what's best for me and my team. I know that. It had no correlation to that.”
Gardner also apologized to an ESPN reporter who pointed out that he missed a key tackle on Sunday. Gardner cited the post and took offense to it.
Gardner said he knows he needs to play better, especially tackle better.
Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said he expects Gardner to play better.
“The source recognizes the fact that he has very high standards for himself, just like we have very high standards for him. He knows that, he needs to do that, he wants to play better, and he's working hard to accomplish that,” Ulbrich said. “Part of the lack of interceptions is the lack of interceptions. [opportunities] From a perspective, he's not much of a target, but he's part of all of us in the building that needs to do a better job. ”
