Former NFL star Mark Sanchez charged with battery after being stabbed by 69-year-old

Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez has been charged with battery with injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a vehicle after an incident in Indianapolis early on Saturday morning that left him hospitalized with stab wounds.

According to an affidavit Sanchez, who now works as an NFL analyst for Fox Sports, confronted a 69-year-old truck driver at a hotel loading bay. The driver said he believed “this guy is trying to kill me” and used pepper spray to protect himself. When the spray did not stop Sanchez advancing on him, the man said he stabbed the former quarterback “two or three times”. Sanchez then allegedly threw the man against a dumpster before “a look of shock” came across his face and he “took off”. Detectives have reviewed video footage of the incident. Witnesses said Sanchez and the driver filmed each other with the cellphones during the incident.

“Mr Sanchez is seen running after [the man] and the video shows Mr Sanchez grabbing and throwing [the man] towards the wall of the Westin, hotel,” police wrote in the affidavit. “Mr Sanchez is then seen throwing [the man] to the ground on the west side of the alley,” investigators wrote.

The Indianapolis Star reported the confrontation started after Sanchez and the driver argued over a parking spot.

The incident left Sanchez with stab wounds to his torso while the driver suffered cuts to his face. Sanchez was treated in hospital for his injuries, which were not believed to be life-threatening, before he was arrested on Saturday. He is due to appear at a hearing on Tuesday morning.

According to the affidavit, Sanchez told police “all he could remember was grabbing for a window.” He did not remember who stabbed him or where the incident occurred.

“This incident should never have happened,” Marion county prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement on 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.”

Sanchez was in Indianapolis to cover the Colts’ game with the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon as part of his Fox Sports duties. He joined Fox in 2021 as an NFL broadcaster and also contributes to FS1 studio programming.

Before his broadcasting career, Sanchez played 10 seasons in the NFL with several teams, including the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. He retired in July 2019 and soon after began working with ESPN’s college football coverage before transitioning to Fox.

Off the field, Sanchez married his wife, Perry, in 2023. The couple shares three children.