NFL Player Sauce Gardner Addresses Backlash for Saying Jews ‘Run the World’
by Shiryn Ghermezian
New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner during organized team activities at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center, Florham Park, New Jersey, June 9, 2023. Photo: Duncan Williams/Cal Sport Media/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
New York Jets cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner took to social media on Tuesday to clarify that he “loves all people” after making an antisemitic comment about Jews during a live stream over the weekend.
The 23-year-old NFL player made the remark while appearing on a live stream hosted by Adin Ross, who is Jewish. During their conversation on air, Ross talked about buying a Tesla Cybertruck from another Jew and Gardner replied, “I’mma be honest — ya’ll run the world.”
After receiving backlash on social media from listeners, Gardner, who is Christian, tried to defend himself in two separate posts on X/Twitter.
In one post on Tuesday, which has since been deleted, he reportedly explained that what he said “was meant to be a good thing.”
“I love all people; Including Jewish people,” Gardner wrote in the now-deleted tweet. “The majority of my agency/marketing team are Jewish and I talk to them almost every day. You probably just took what I said the wrong way but what I said was meant to be a good thing.”
He then tweeted on Tuesday night: “I love all people. 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.”
Ross also defended Gardner on X. He replied to the NFL player’s tweet on Tuesday night and told Gardner, “You did and said nothing wrong you said Jews run the world in a good way which is true, I said you were fine so ima defend you. Don’t give in, f–k these fake woke ppl [sic].”
During the live stream, Gardner also said Jews “got so much motion throughout the whole world, oh my goodness.” He, along with another guest on the live stream, then commented on the sidelocks, called payot in Hebrew, that Hassidic Jewish men have.
Ross said on air that he was not offended by Gardner’s remarks about Jews and joked that he gave the NFL athlete, and his other guests on the live stream, the “Jew pass” to make such comments.
