Former NFL quarterback and current Fox Sports analyst Mark Sanchez has been formally charged with three misdemeanors following a stabbing incident early Saturday in Indianapolis.
Sanchez, 38, faces charges of battery resulting in injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a motor vehicle, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said Sunday morning.
An initial hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday morning, with bond set at $300, according to espn.com.
“This incident should never have happened,” Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement Sunday. “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.”
According to an affidavit for probable cause, around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Sanchez accosted a truck driver at a hotel loading dock, with the confrontation reaching a point when the man felt he was in danger. That led to his first spraying Sanchez in the face with pepper spray. As Sanchez continued to approach him, the man pulled a knife and stabbed him several times, according to the affidavit.
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, who “took off.”
Arriving officers found Sanchez inside the bar next to the alley.
Sanchez, who was stabbed in the upper torso, was transported to Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition, which was eventually upgraded to stable, the Indianapolis Star reported. He was arrested later on Saturday.
The other man suffered a laceration to his left cheek and was treated and released from Methodist Hospital.
Sanchez was scheduled to provide analysis for Sunday’s Indianapolis Colts vs. Las Vegas Raiders game for Fox. Another former NFL quarterback, Brady Quinn, will fill that role, the Star reported.
Fox provided a brief statement on Sunday, saying: “Friday night in Indianapolis, one of our team members, Mark Sanchez, was involved in an incident that we’re still trying to wrap our heads around. At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with Mark, his family, and all of those involved.”
Sanchez played eight seasons in the NFL after being picked fifth by the New York Jets in the 2009 draft out of USC. He helped the Jets advance to back-to-back AFC Championship Games in his first two seasons.
He also played for Philadelphia, Dallas and Washington, the team he last appeared in a regular-season game for in 2018.
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in relation to an alleged stabbing incident early Saturday in Indianapolis after which he was hospitalized with injuries.
Sanchez faces charges of battery resulting in injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a motor vehicle, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office announced Sunday morning. An initial hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday morning.