Well, it’s another banner day on social media for the New York Jets.
In a since-deleted post on X, cornerback Sauce Gardner decided to take a shot at Jets fan Matt O’Leary. The content creator had posted a clip from his video where he asked for the cornerback to stop responding to fans and focus on improving his play.
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In response, Gardner had some very strong words toward O’Leary.
“I am very accountable, and my teammates know. I owe it to them, not you or anybody else on this app. I missed ONE tackle and gave up like 19 yards. Do I want each of those plays back? Of course. But how about you come play corner in the NFL for a week and let me know how it goes?”
It was not the only Jets-based social media post of the day. In another since-deleted post, Gardner responded to a post from ESPN’s Rich Cimini that called his missed tackle “the costliest” missed tackle of the game.
“Yup, I’m 100% sure me missing that tackle at the beginning of the 2nd quarter for a gain of 17 yards was the costliest miss. That is, in fact, what lost us the game.”
Linebacker Quincy Williams also clapped back at fans on Instagram. In a since-deleted post on his story, the linebacker said, “Y’all better remember this football s-t just my job. Find y’all someone else to play with before you get found.”
In a broad sense, I am not saying that Gardner and Williams are not entitled to post on their respective platforms. They are feeling the hardships of the season more than any other pundit or fan, and it is clear that emotions are boiling up from under the surface.
However, it is not a good look for the team as a whole when players immediately go to social media after losses. It is not good when the star cornerback is attacking fans and seemingly not understanding the impact of his missed plays. It is not good when a star linebacker puts a vague threat on social media.
These posts will be forgotten about when the next big story or headline breaks. In today’s information environment, posts on social media are like dust in the wind.
However, the posts show a crumbling culture for a team whose season is on life support, if not dead. They show a team more concerned about themselves and not interested in being a cohesive unit.
The Jets were supposed to be beyond this type of drama, but they evidently are still stuck in the middle of it. And if this season keeps heading down its treacherous path, it will likely only get worse.
