Mark Sanchez faces criminal charges after allegedly attacking a truck driver in downtown Indianapolis early Saturday morning.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office announced Sunday that the Fox Sports broadcaster has been charged with battery with injury, public intoxication, and unlawful entry of a vehicle. All three are misdemeanors. An initial hearing is scheduled for Tuesday morning, with bond set at $300.
Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement that the incident “should never have happened” and that what started as a disagreement between a 38-year-old former professional athlete and a 69-year-old man shouldn’t have turned violent.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Sanchez allegedly confronted a truck driver at a loading dock. The situation escalated to the point where the driver believed he was in danger and sprayed Sanchez with pepper spray. When Sanchez continued advancing, the driver said he thought “this guy is trying to kill me.”
The driver then pulled a knife and struck Sanchez two or three times while Sanchez kept coming at him. The driver said he was thrown against a dumpster and onto the ground during what he believed was a “life-or-death situation.” The driver said “a look of shock” came to Sanchez’s face before Sanchez “took off.”
Police reviewed video footage of the confrontation, which occurred in downtown Indianapolis’ Wholesale District, next to the Indiana Statehouse, around 12:30 a.m.
Sanchez was hospitalized in stable condition Saturday after suffering stab wounds during the incident. Indianapolis police arrested him at the hospital later that day.
The Fox analyst was scheduled to work Sunday’s Colts-Raiders game at Lucas Oil Stadium alongside Chris Myers, but was replaced by Brady Quinn.
Sanchez, 38, played eight seasons in the NFL after being selected fifth overall by the New York Jets in 2009. He helped the Jets reach back-to-back AFC Championship Games in his first two seasons and also played for the Eagles, Cowboys, and Washington before his playing career ended in 2018. He joined Fox as an NFL game analyst in 2021.
The prosecutor’s office will make the final charging decision following Tuesday’s hearing.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.