There was no one more disappointed with Sauce Gardner’s effort on Sunday against the Commanders than Sauce Gardner, apparently.
The former Jets All-Pro cornerback caught heat for the way he hustled on several plays during the Colts’ victory over the Commanders in London, and while speaking to reporters on Wednesday, he called his effort “embarrassing” and vowed that it would “never happen again.”
One play in particular received a particular amount of blowback, where Gardner, 24, seemed to pull up from giving chase on an 87-yard catch-and-run by receiver Antonio Williams in the third quarter.
Gardner appeared to end his chase of Williams after safety Camryn Bynum looked as though he would be able to grab the receiver, but Williams managed to reach the end zone.
The play was called back by a penalty, but the perceived lack of effort didn’t sit well with fans, and Gardner was not happy about it when he later watched it back.
It was made worse by the fact that teammate Adetomiwa Adebawore had gone all out to try and make a play during the third-quarter instance.
“That’s the embarrassing feeling right there,” Gardner said. “Seeing other guys on the D-line running past me, that’s the part that’s like, ‘Yo, that’s crazy.’
“When I’m loafing and then I’m seeing him slide past me, it’s like, ‘Bro, that’s embarrassing.’ Yeah, that’s unacceptable.”
Gardner did say that he saw a flag thrown before the catch and assumed it was on the Commanders, but he did not want to use that as an excuse for why he slowed up on the play.
He also called himself out for other instances where he felt his effort wasn’t there.
“There was multiple plays where my effort was not there,” Gardner said. “That’s not what I stand for. That’s not the type of person I am. That’s not the type of player I am. And that’ll never happen again.”
Gardner was acquired by the Colts last season in a trade with the Jets that sent two first-round picks to Gang Green for the two-time All-Pro First Team.
In eight starts for the Colts since the trade, Gardner has 30 tackles and seven passes defended.
