Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez has been charged with battery with injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a vehicle after an altercation in Indianapolis early on Saturday that left him with stab wounds.
According to an affidavit, Sanchez, 38, 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, then stabbed the former quarterback “two or three times” when the spray did not stop him. Sanchez allegedly threw the man against a dumpster before fleeing. Police reviewed video footage showing Sanchez chasing and throwing the man.
The confrontation reportedly began over a parking spot. Sanchez allegedly told the driver, who was collecting frying oil, that the manager did not want the oil picked up, then attempted to enter the man’s truck. Sanchez suffered stab wounds to his torso; the driver sustained cuts to his face. Sanchez was treated in hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and arrested on Saturday. He is due in court on Tuesday.
Sanchez told police “all he could remember was grabbing for a window” and did not recall the stabbing. Prosecutor Ryan Mears said the incident “should never have happened” and that they would follow the facts and law. Sanchez was in Indianapolis to cover the Colts-Raiders game for Fox Sports, where he works as an NFL analyst. Fox briefly acknowledged the incident on Sunday’s pregame show.
