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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Anthony Rizzuti

Brian Burns ‘not surprised’ by Mac Jones’ latest ‘dirty’ incident

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones did little to scrub away his reputation as a dirty player this past Sunday—and the man who was the first victim on file isn’t surprised.

During Week 3’s AFC East matchup between the Patriots and host New York Jets, Jones was shoved to the turf by cornerback Sauce Gardner—who claims Jones deliberately hit him in the . . . uh . . . chicken nuggets. Gardner provided the following look at the alleged cup check on Monday:

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This is just the latest incident in which Jones has seemingly taken liberties. He’s also been questioned for a low block on former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eli Apple as well as a pair of suspicious slides at the lower body of Chicago Bears safety Jaquon Brisker—one of which ended with Jones’ cleat in Brisker’s groin.

Oh, and he also twisted the ankle of Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Brian Burns back in 2021 . . .

So, as someone who has some history with Jones, the two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher was asked about the dustup with Gardner on Thursday.

Jones, whose Patriots hosted the Panthers for joint practices the following summer, claimed that he and Burns were “definitely friends” after the twist—one he also said wasn’t intentional. But Burns, whether they’ve actually made up or not, still doesn’t seem to trust ol’ buddy.

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