On December 31, 2024, professional New York Jets player Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner and Barstool Sports, a digital media outlet, were sued by Kalli Mariakis, a 42-year-old mother from Mississippi and a Buffalo Bills fan. The suit was filed on December 31, 2024, in Morris County, New Jersey, Superior Court.
Ms. Mariakis sued Mr. Gardner, an all-pro cornerback, and the giant media outlet for emotional distress and defamation, and is seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages, court costs and fees, and other legal or equitable relief.
The incidents leading up to the lawsuit began on August 24, 2024, after Ms. Mariakis exchanged words with the Jets star. At the time, Mr. Gardner posted on his X account, showing a picture of boxes, a ladder and some construction equipment. His caption was, Do I even need to say what I'm getting built at my new house?"
Soon afterward, the Bills fan Ms. Mariakis replied to his post, saying "A simulator to teach you how not to commit pass interference or defensive holding.”
In court documents, the plaintiff said she was just joking.
The next day, however, Mr. Gardner replied with a post saying, “I'm sure your husband wouldn't like it if I told him you dm'd me your OF link would he [sic]?" DM refers to direct private messaging in a private manner to someone and OF refers to Only Fans, a popular content platform available via subscription that often features explicit sexual material.
After Mr. Gardner’s new post, Ms., Mariakis asked him to prove her alleged direct message. She also claims in court documents that she does not have an Only Fans account. In court documents, Ms. Mariakis said she replied to the final football player’s post saying, "Why don't you send the link then? He's waiting! I would love to know what it is myself! Nice comeback @iamSauceGardner but what a shame it's a big fat lie!”
Mr. Gardner has more than 280,000 followers on his X account. Ms. Mariakis’ reply to the football player's post reportedly had over 9.5 million views.
In legal documents, the plaintiff alleges due to Gardner's false claims against her and Barstool's one-sided article of the incident, she and her family faced ongoing embarrassment and harassment.
The suit accuses Gardner of defamation and intentional affliction of emotional distress, claiming the defendant made a knowingly false statement intended to cast aspersions on the plaintiff's character. It goes on to accuse Barstool Sports, Inc. of defamation for the article's content, which implied that the existence of an OnlyFans site was factual.
As claimed in the suit, at the time of the posts and after, Mr. Gardner allegedly ignored her request, and on August 23, his first response to Ms. Mariakis was deleted from his account.
Also on August 23, the digital media platform Barstool Sports published an article, "If You're a Married OnlyFans Model Who's Been DMing Sauce Gardner, You'd Be Wise NOT to Troll Him About His Coverage Skill." Barstool Sports has over 68 million monthly users.
In the Barstool Sports article, writer Jerry Thornton repeated the X posts by Mr. Gardner and Ms. Mariakis but did not confirm the existence of an OnlyFans account. Furthermore, the Barstool Sports article included a photo of Ms. Mariakis in a bikini.
Ms. Mariakis accuses Mr. Gardner of making a “knowingly false and malicious statement,” which was then amplified by the BarStool article.
The suit alleges that the plaintiff and her family have “experienced numerous embarrassing moments and harassment from acquaintances, friends, family, co-workers and the public at large.”
Ms. Mariakis, in the suit, claims that people “cast aspersions on plaintiff and raised questions about her internet activity, especially referencing plaintiff’s alleged — and non-existent — OnlyFans account and, in that connection, questioned her character and reputation as a respectable young-women, wife and mother.”
For a defamation suit to be successful, the plaintiff must provide proof that a defamatory statement was published. In court, plaintiffs and defendants may offer social media posts as evidence. They must establish authenticity, relevancy to the case, and competence of the evidence, according to legal standards such as, in this case, the New Jersey Rules of Evidence.
