Fox Sports has offered its thoughts and prayers to announcer Mark Sanchez as he recovers after being stabbed in Indianapolis in the early hours of Saturday morning.
But it’s what went unmentioned by Fox’s Charissa Thompson that caught the attention of football fans: Sanchez’s arrest on misdemeanor charges of battery with injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a vehicle.
The former USC and New York Jets quarterback was arrested at an Indianapolis hospital after Saturday’s stabbing, which occurred during what police described as a physical altercation between Sanchez and a 69-year-old food delivery driver.
‘Friday night in Indianapolis, one of our team members, Mark Sanchez, was involved in an incident that we are still trying to wrap our heads around,’ Thompson told Fox Sports viewers on Sunday morning. ‘At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with Mark, his family, and all of those involved.’
Thompson made no mention the driver, who was also injured, according to police.
An initial hearing had been scheduled for 8:30am ET with bond set for $300.
Former USC Trojans and NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez, right, with his wife Perry and son Daniel attend the game against the UCLA Bruins at Galen Center on January 27, 2024
He was reportedly stabbed in the chest during a dispute with a food delivery driver at Loughmiller’s Pub & Eatery in downtown Indianapolis (pictured)
‘This incident should never have happened,’ Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement issued 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 allegedly accosted the truck driver, who believed he was in danger, at a loading dock in downtown Indianapolis, according to an affidavit obtained by ESPN.
As the confrontation escalated, the fearful driver is said to have sprayed Sanchez in the face with pepper spray.
Sanchez reportedly continued to advance towards the driver, who thought the former quarterback was ‘trying to kill me’ and pulled a knife, striking him ‘two or three times.’
The truck driver said he was then thrown against a dumpster, leaving him to believe he was in a ‘life-or-death situation,’ before a ‘look of shock’ came over Sanchez’s face and he took off.
Sanchez reportedly told a police officer that ‘all he could remember was grabbing for a window.’ He added that he didn’t know who stabbed him or where the incident occurred.
Sanchez allegedly accosted the truck driver, who believed he was in danger, at a loading dock
He is said to have sustained multiple stab wounds to his right torso. The driver also suffered a laceration on his left cheek and was taken to a different hospital than Sanchez for treatment.
The driver told police that the dispute started over Sanchez telling him that he was barred from standing in the loading dock, per the orders of the hotel manager, according to TMZ.
He claimed that he could smell alcohol on the former football player’s breath and that he was slurring his words.
Sanchez to Indiana’s capital city to call Sunday’s Colts-Raiders game for Fox Sports. According to Front Office Sports , Sanchez will be replaced in the booth by another ex-quarterback, former Notre Dame star Brady Quinn. Quinn’s play-by-play partner for the game will be long-time announcer Chris Myers.
