With a reported net worth of around $20 million, Sauce Gardner can afford to make big real estate moves. But one of them has turned into a $1.4 million legal mess, with the Indianapolis Colts star suing over a Detroit property deal he says went badly wrong.

TMZ reported that Gardner has accused Michigan-based Sanborn Construction and its CEO, Nicholas Sanborn, of misleading him into a real estate deal. Gardner bought the property for about $935,000, then says he paid the company another $500,000 upfront for renovations. According to his lawsuit, the contractor stopped communicating with him and failed to provide the progress he was promised.

Gardner has sued the contractor for breach of contract, fraud-related claims, unjust enrichment, and negligent misrepresentation. He is seeking the return of his money plus additional damages. So far, the contractor has not publicly responded to the allegations.

Sanborn, according to Gardner, told him that an adjacent 102-year-old building was also for sale. But apparently, it wasn’t. Nevertheless, the NFL star believed it was a good opportunity and bought the property in May for nearly a million dollars.

Soon after buying it, he brought Sanborn in as the general contractor with a plan to modify the property. He even claimed to have sent $500,000 in advance to work on the windows, roof, doors, and frames. But in return, he got ghosted.

However, Gardner claims the company kept spending even after he ordered it to stop work and return his $500,000, dropping about $160,000 on materials at Home Depot 16 days later.

The situation got even messier when Sanborn allegedly used Gardner’s name to promote the project without his permission. The contractor posted a YouTube video titled “COMPLETELY RESTORING An Abandoned 102 Year Old Historic Apartment Building With Sauce Gardner.” After putting roughly $1.4 million into the property purchase and renovation deposit, Gardner eventually took the dispute to court.

The video makes it clear Gardner was heavily involved in the project before things went south. He toured the building, approved design choices, discussed better-quality windows, preserving the brick, fixing the elevator, and even future development around the property. At one point, he told Sanborn, “You’re doing it the real way,” while agreeing to spend more on better materials. Gardner looked fully bought into the renovation plan, which makes his later claims of being misled and ghosted even more striking.

Gardner is not the only NFL name dealing with a messy property lawsuit. Former defensive tackle DeShawn Williams and his wife sued after claiming contractors entered their hurricane-damaged Florida home without permission, removed personal belongings, and later listed some of his NFL memorabilia for sale online.

Bill Belichick is also fighting a nearly $300,000 lawsuit after a painter said he was seriously injured while working at one of Belichick’s Nantucket properties. Belichick denied responsibility and blamed the contractor overseeing the job, arguing that the company controlled the work site and was responsible for worker safety.

Despite the legal headache, Gardner is refusing to let the real estate dispute distract him from his day job. As he gears up for the 2026 NFL season, the superstar cornerback is locked in on elevating his game.