Last year, a Buffalo Bills fan sued Sauce Gardner for defamation following a snarky social media exchange with the New York Jets cornerback.
Not only did a judge decide to dismiss the case, but he also awarded the 2-time All-Pro defensive back legal fees, bringing an end to the year-plus-long legal battle.
According to Sportico’s Michael McCann, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Jonathan W. Romankow has issued a final judgment in the case, awarding Gardner $51,636.45 in attorneys’ fees and costs. While the judgment is lower than the initial $104,729 the former Cincinnati star requested, it remains a win for Gardner, who successfully argued that the case should be dismissed as it fell under New Jersey’s anti-SLAPP statute.
The entire ordeal stems from a social media exchange that occurred in August 2024, when the Jets star posted a picture to X indicating that he was preparing to construct a golf simulator along with the caption “Do I even have to say what I’m getting built at my new house?” After Kalli Mariakis, a Bills fan from Biloxi, Miss., replied “A simulator to teach you how not to commit pass interference or defensive holding,” Gardner responded by claiming that the woman had privately messaged him a link to her OnlyFans account.
Mariakis filed a lawsuit over the exchange, claiming that Gardner had damaged her reputation since she doesn’t actually have an OnlyFans account. She also sued Barstool Sports for writing a story about the exchange, with that portion of the lawsuit having also been dismissed.
Gardner, meanwhile, maintained that his response qualified as an opinion and was a matter of public interest, as evidenced by stories having been written about the interaction. The New Jersey anti-SLAPP statute requires the dismissal of defamation claims in instances of topics of public concern and when the speech isn’t defamatory.
Furthermore, the 25-year-old cornerback referred to the exchange as “lighthearted” and noted that it came on X, where “readers have a reduced expectation of truth.” He also argued that it would set a potentially harmful precedent if a celebrity was held liable for defamation as the result of a trolling reply.
Ultimately, the judge agreed, dismissing the suit in July before finalizing the matter this week.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.