As the Buffalo Bills starting quarterback, Josh Allen is no stranger to trash talk from New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner.
So he probably wasn’t quite sure how to respond when his usual AFC East rival posted what seemed to be a message of sympathy toward him on social media about his fiancée, Hailee Steinfeld.
Like many others, Gardner likely caught wind of the buzz surrounding Steinfeld’s new movie Sinners, where her steamy scenes with co-star Michael B. Jordan sparked some strong reactions online.
On Thursday, Gardner made it clear how he feels about watching the significant other of a fellow NFL player—even one from a division rival—in a provocative role.
“Out of respect for my dawg Josh, I will not be going to see Sinners ,” Gardner posted.
Although Gardner probably intended his post to be respectful, it sparked mixed reactions on social media, with some fans accusing the Pro Bowl corner of trolling Allen and others teasing Gardner for bringing even more attention to the situation.
One fan commented, “Posting this tweet is actually more disrespectful than just going to see the movie .”
Another fan added, “@iamSauceGardner bro, you realize this tweet comes off more disrespectful than respectful. I get your intention, but you’re still highlighting the same thing everyone’s talking about. Not hating, just my opinion — she’s an actress.”
A third fan commented, “Man, I’m backing Sauce. All he was trying to do was show some respect (you can’t blame him) because if your girl or wife was in a steamy movie scene for the whole world to see, you’d definitely be thinking, ‘[expletive], people on social media are gonna talk [expletive]!’”
Another user added, “People think he’s being nice, but it’s actually the funniest way to troll. It’s like when you mess with someone by being overly polite when they want you to get mad instead.”
Another user joked, “You’re real for that ,” while a different fan scoffed, “Respecting your rival? Lame.”
While Gardner appears to think watching “Sinners” would be unsuitable given his situation, Allen has a different perspective.
The current NFL MVP gave the movie glowing praise, expressing how proud he was to support his fiancée as Steinfeld’s Hollywood career continues to soar.
“It was awesome,” Allen said. “It was a whole new world. A very cool experience, and I’m so excited for her. I’m really proud of her, and it’s getting some great reviews. It’s a fantastic movie, so definitely go watch it.”