Former NFL quarterback and current analyst for Fox Sports Mark Sanchez has been charged with three misdemeanors in relation to an incident early Saturday morning in Indianapolis in which he was stabbed and hospitalized. Sanchez, 38, was in Indianapolis to cover Sunday’s matchup between the Colts and the Las Vegas Raiders, per NBC NEWS.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said on X that a man was stabbed during a “physical disturbance” between two men around 12:30 a.m. The person who was stabbed, later revealed to be Sanchez, was taken to a hospital and remained in stable condition.
Sanchez is still hospitalized and has not yet been booked into a detention center. He is charges with three misdemeanor offenses regarding the altercation. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office announced Sunday that Sanchez was charged with battery with injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a vehicle, which are misdemeanors. An initial hearing has been scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET Tuesday, with bond set at $300.
According to an affidavit for probable cause, Sanchez allegedly accosted a truck driver at a hotel loading dock. with the confrontation escalating to the point where the truck driver believed he was in danger. He sprayed Sanchez in the face with pepper spray and, with Sanchez still advancing toward him, said he thought “this guy is trying to kill me.” The truck driver then pulled his knife and said he struck Sanchez “two or three times.” The truck driver said he was thrown against a dumpster and onto the ground and believed he was in a “life-or-death situation.” The driver, according to the affidavit, then said “a look of shock” came to Sanchez’s face and Sanchez “took off.”
Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement Sunday: “This incident should never have happened. What began as a disagreement between a 38-year-old former professional athlete and a 69-year-old man should not have escalated into violence or left anyone seriously injured. As with any case, we will follow the facts and the law wherever they lead.”
Fox Sports said in a statement: “Mark Sanchez was injured in Indianapolis on Saturday and is currently recovering in the hospital in stable condition. We are deeply grateful to the medical team for their exceptional care and support. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mark, and we ask that everyone please respect his and his family’s privacy during this time.”
Sanchez, a native of California, first gained national attention as the starting quarterback at the University of Southern California (USC) before being selected in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He played four seasons with the Jets, followed by stints with the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Commanders before transitioning into broadcasting.
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