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 hospitalised with stab wounds.
According to an affidavit, Sanchez, 38, now 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 reviewed video footage of the incident. Witnesses said Sanchez and the driver filmed each other with their mobile phones 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.”
The Indianapolis Star reported the confrontation started after Sanchez and the driver argued over a parking spot. Sanchez is alleged to have told the man, who was picking up frying oil from the hotel, that the manager said he did not want the oil picked up. Sanchez is then said to have attempted to enter the man’s truck.
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 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.
Marion county prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement: “This incident should never have happened. 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 for Fox Sports. Another former NFL quarterback, Brady Quinn, replaced Sanchez in the booth for Sunday’s game.
