After New York lost to New England 15-10 on Sunday, Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner accused Patriots quarterback Mac Jones of hitting him below the belt during the NFL game.

“That’s probably the first time that’s ever happened to me,” Gardner said. “He had got tackled, and he reached his hand up to try to, like, get me to help him up, and I just moved his hand out of the way. Then he get up and just come up to me like, ‘Good job.’ But while he was saying that, he hit me in my private parts.

“I didn’t react how I really wanted to. That was just the reaction that came after that. I definitely wasn’t expecting that. There’s a first time for everything, I guess.”

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The action in question came after a third-and-1 quarterback sneak in the fourth quarter. New York kept Jones from picking up the yard, and when Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley wrestled Jones to the ground after the play, it set off a brief confrontation between New York defenders and New England linemen as Jones walked away. At that point, the quarterback was pushed down by Gardner.

“My stomach hurt a little bit, you know what I mean?” Gardner said. “I don’t even know what to say. I got to ice up. He’s trying to stop me from having kids in the future.”

Jones was asked about the play during his postgame press conference.

First, the former Alabama All-American was asked about the Jets taking “extra liberties” with him.

“Just football,” Jones said. “It’s a physical game. At that point in the game, you just have to fight to get it no matter what you got to do to get the 1 yard, so it’s just part of the game. No big deal.”

Then, Jones was asked if he hit Gardner a “low blow,” as the cornerback alleged.

“No,” Jones said. “I think just trying to get the first down. Third-and-1, then we came back on fourth-and-1 and tried to fake it, so definitely a physical play. A lot of guys are in there – the famous quarterback sneak that everybody does. All the guys on both teams are in there, and it can get pretty physical. And that’s something I have to learn from is getting my pads lower and not get held up.”

RELATED: PATRIOTS QB MAC JONES GETS WHAT HE CAME FOR IN NEW YORK

This isn’t the first time in his NFL career that Jones has been accused of unsportsmanlike conduct.

Chicago safety Jaquan Brisker said Jones tried to kick him in the crotch twice while sliding down on rushing attempts during the Bears’ 33-14 victory over the Patriots on Oct. 24, 2022. Brisker said Jones apologized after the game.

The NFL fined Jones twice in December last season, and Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eli Apple accused the quarterback of “dirty play.”

During the Patriots’ 22-18 loss to Cincinnati on Dec. 24, 2022, Jones threw himself in front of cornerback Eli Apple as they ran after Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt, who thought he was returning a fumble for a touchdown. (The play was later ruled an incomplete pass.)

The NFL fined Jones $11,139 for a low block, even though his team did not have the ball. Blocking below the waist is prohibited on change-of-possession plays.

The NFL fined Jones $10,609 for hitting Buffalo Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa with the football in the Patriots’ 24-10 loss on Dec. 1, 2022.

Epenesa sacked Jones on a second-and-8 snap from the Buffalo 8-yard line with 2:13 left to play and the Bills leading 24-7. When Jones got up, he backhanded the football at Epenesa. The flipped football bounced off the defensive end, Epenesa gave no reaction and the officials did not assess a penalty.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.