Nearly a week later, people are still trying to make sense of the altercation in Indianapolis that resulted in Mark Sanchez being stabbed and arrested.
Security footage obtained by TMZ sheds new light on the circumstances surrounding the incident, which led to the Fox NFL analyst being charged with a felony count of battery resulting in serious bodily harm.
While the footage doesn’t show the fight itself, it does show Sanchez in the moments leading up to it, as well as immediately after. In the footage, the ex-NFL quarterback can be seen roaming — and at one point, seemingly stumbling — around downtown Indianapolis before running toward the location in which the victim’s truck had previously parked.
Following the fight in which the victim is believed to have stabbed Sanchez multiple times in an alleged act of self-defense, the 38-year-old can be seen walking away from the location while holding his wound.
Based on the timeline of the security footage, the incident appeared to take place between 12:25 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4. Prior to the incident, Sanchez could be seen walking past the alley where the victim’s truck was parked, returning to it and leaning against a wall for approximately two minutes before engaging in a conversation with a bystander, before continuing down the alley, pausing behind a dumpster and then running toward the truck.
At this point, it’s still unclear why the incident occurred. According to police reports, Sanchez approached the truck and pulled out the driver, who proceeded to pepper spray him, with the former USC star then attacking him before being stabbed.
According to TMZ, police say that they have seen multiple videos of the actual attack. In addition to the felony count, Sanchez has also been charged with three misdemeanors and faces up to six years in jail if convicted.
The victim has since sued Sanchez and Fox, as the NFL analyst was in town to call the Week 5 matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Las Vegas Raiders.
Brady Quinn replaced Sanchez on Fox’s broadcast of last Sunday’s Colts-Raiders game. The former New York Jets quarterback isn’t a part of the network’s broadcasting schedule for this Sunday’s Week 6 slate and his status with the network remains unclear moving forward.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.