Rapper Ice Spice and New York Jets cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner sent romance rumors into overdrive recently. The NFL star took to Instagram and posted a carousel of pics as he was out and about in the Big Apple and standing in front of a silver Rolls-Royce.
However, fans cared more about the woman he stood next to than the luxury car. The carousel also included a cartoon photo of a bottle of hot sauce wearing Gardner’s No. 1 jersey while holding a spatula next to a red rose, but no one paid much attention to that either. Instead, many of his more than 1 million followers recognized Ice Spice and commented asking if he and the “Munch” artist were officially coming out as a couple.
Gardner’s post was only captioned with a Statue of Liberty emoji and he didn’t entertain any of his fans questions, leaving everyone to speculate.
Here’s more on why plenty of people think they’re together and how Gardner got the nickname “Sauce.”
When Ice Spice and Gardner first sparked dating rumors
This isn’t the first time Ice Spice and Gardner sparked dating rumors.
In February, the two were seen on an escalator talking to each other as they just happened to get caught in one of YouTuber Javier Romero’s viral dance videos. It was reported that they had dinner together later that night.
That same month, Gardner and Ice Spice attended Druski’s “Coulda Been Love” YouTube series premiere party together and then the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscars in March.
Ice Spice has also been in attendance at a Jets game this past season when she took pics with the team’s owner, Woody Johnson, and his wife, Suzanne.
So far, Gardner and Ice Spice have not confirmed or denied the dating rumors.
How did Sauce Gardner get that nickname?
Now, in case you’re wondering just how did the Jets star get the nickname Sauce?
Well, it goes back to his youth football league when he played for the East Side Bengals in Detroit under coach Curtez Harris aka Coach Tez.
USA Today noted that the head coach had a nickname for all of his players, and Gardner’s moniker was “A1,” just like the steak sauce. The reason Harris gave the then 6-year-old player that name is because the “A” corresponded with the first letter of his name (Ahmad) and the “1” with the jersey number he wears.
After a particularly strong performance in a game, Harris complimented Gardner by calling him “A1 Sauce Sweet Feet Gardner.” Gardner really liked that phrase and decided to shorten it to just “Sauce.”
The cornerback has since created a whole “Sauce” persona and says it’s a way of life, telling the New York Post: “My personal meaning is a level of confidence. When I’m on and off the field, I make sure I’ve got the sauce. That just keeps me going. When I’m in my little calm mood, it’s just me being Ahmad. The Sauce is within me, so I’m always Sauce. I have to know when to flip the switch up and turn the switch off.”
