The events around us often end up defining who we are as a person. A single occurrence can push someone to fight for their mental health. That is what happened with Aaron Rodgers‘ new best friend. A New York Jets star revealed his eight-year mental health battle. Triggered by the Call of Duty, the events still haunt him to this day. But fortunately, it also made him into a stronger individual and NFL star.

Sauce Gardner has established himself as an important cog in the Jets’ defense in his rookie year. He also picked up the league’s defensive Rookie of the Year in the 2022 season. But years before anything of that sort happened, he saw a horrific scene at the age of 14. And that triggered a long mental health battle that still defines his actions to this day.

Sauce Gardner reveals his dark thoughts

In a recent interview, Sauce Gardner revealed how he battled for his mental health after witnessing a horrific scene in the city of Detroit. He was just 14 at the time. One day, while coming back from a barbershop, he saw someone get murdered, the cornerback told Sports Illustrated. And that changed his life forever.

According to the Jets star, even the sound of bullets on Call of Duty brought back dark thoughts into his mind. He struggled for years, not even telling his mother as he feared that she would be overprotective. That is when the future NFL star took some decisions that defined his life.

The cornerback decided that he would stay away from alcohol and cannabis. He became more religious and made it a habit to read the Bible. But above all, he became more caring. All that set him on a path that made him a Jets star and Aaron Rodgers’ partner-in-crime.

Aaron Rodgers’ new best friend 

When Aaron Rodgers arrived in New York, one of the first people the four-time NFL MVP became friends with is Sauce Gardner. The QB even took him out to a New York Knicks NBA playoff game at Madison Square Garden. But during that outing, Gardner faced a lot of teasing from Rodgers over not being able to recognize Hollywood star, Jessica Alba.

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Alba shared a video of Gardner narrating the story of Rodgers picking on him. And she was happy to meet the young man who “was actually very polite with his elder Aaron Rodgers and everyone else in the room”.

So, from being a scared and afraid kid in Detroit to a terrifying defensive presence in New York, Gardner has come a long way. He continues to defy his demons the best way he ever can.

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