Embattled former NFL star Mark Sanchez found himself the punchline of a joke on Saturday Night Live one week on from his violent altercation with a truck driver in Indianapolis that led to him being stabbed and later arrested.
The retired NFL quarterback and Fox TV commentator is facing up to 16 years in prison after the shocking incident involving 69-year-old Perry Tole, who claims to have stabbed him in self-defense during a violent altercation outside an Indianapolis pub early last Saturday morning.
Sanchez, 38, was initially charged with public intoxication, battery resulting in bodily injury and unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle – all misdemeanors. However, prosecutors have since added a felony charge of battery involving serious bodily injury.
SNL mocked Sanchez and his former NFL team, the New York Jets, during Saturday’s Weekend Update segment with Colin Jost and Michael Che.
‘If convicted, (Mark) Sanchez could be sent to prison, or worse, back to the Jets,’ Jost brutally quipped.
The Jets drafted Sanchez fifth overall out of USC in the 2009 Draft. He spent five seasons in the Big Apple.
Embattled former NFL star Mark Sanchez found himself the punchline of a joke on SNL
Weeke3nd Update host Colin Jost mocked the former quarterback and the New York Jets
Sanchez guided the Jets to the postseason twice during his tenure in New York in 2009 and 2010.
However, the Jets’ fortunes have taken a turn for the worse with the team failing to make it to the playoffs since Sanchez was under center. New York has endured a nightmare start to the 2025 season, slumping to 0-5.
Tole suffered brutal lacerations in the bloody brawl with Sanchez in the early hours of October 4.
The unsavory incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning, after Sanchez was observed acting ‘erratically’ and running ‘wind sprints’ during a night out ahead of covering the Colts’ NFL game.
It is alleged that Sanchez took issue with Tole parking his truck in a loading dock while he collected cooking oil on his night shift, as it was disrupting his impromptu workout.
Sanchez, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound former quarterback, is said to have then pummeled Tole and slammed him to the ground, before the latter used mace and then stabbed his assailant two to three times in the chest.
The ex-NFL player was then seen stumbling back toward the Loughmiller’s Pub and Eatery, where he was given medical attention and rushed to hospital.
While there, he was detained and charged with a Level 5 felony and three misdemeanor charges, and it has been reported that he could face up to 16 years in prison if the felony is upgraded to a Level 3.
Perry Tole, a grease truck driver, suffered brutal lacerations after the alleged attack by Sanchez
Former USC and NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez, right, with his wife Perry and son Daniel
He is also reportedly facing a lawsuit from Tole, who is suing him for assault/battery and also Fox for negligent hiring, retention and supervision.
In the suit, he reportedly states that Sanchez appeared intoxicated and instigated the fight, which caused him permanent disfigurement, loss of function, other physical injuries, emotional distress and other damages. Tole claims he has significant injuries to his head, jaw and neck.
He has also targeted Fox after claiming the network should have known him as a bad fit due to his ‘propensity for drinking and/or harmful conduct.’
