Ex-NFL QB Mark Sanchez faces felony
in fight that authorities say was over parking
[October 07, 2025]
By MICHAEL MAROT
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez is now
facing a felony battery charge for what authorities said Monday was
a fight over parking, in addition to the misdemeanor charges that
the Fox Sports analyst was already facing from the weekend incident
in Indianapolis.
Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears announced the felony charge of
battery involving serious bodily injury, which carries a potential
sentence of one to six years in prison, during a news conference
with Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Chris Bailey.
Mears said the investigation is ongoing and that additional charges
are possible.
“We are literally talking about people fighting over a parking space
and-or a dispute about where people are parking, and it resulted in
someone receiving just incredibly significant injures,” the
prosecutor told reporters.
A police affidavit alleges the 38-year-old Sanchez, smelling of
alcohol, accosted a 69-year-old truck driver who backed into a
hotel’s loading docks in downtown Indianapolis, leading to a
confrontation early Saturday outside the vehicle that prompted the
driver to pull out a knife to defend himself.
The former New York Jets quarterback was pepper-sprayed and stabbed
multiple times during the altercation, according to court records
filed Sunday.
It became clear after investigators learned more about the victim’s
medical condition that the more serious felony charge was warranted,
Mears said.
“This was a situation that did not need to occur,” the prosecutor
said. “The allegations involve a 38-year-old man becoming involved
in an altercation with a 69-year-old man who sustained significant
and very severe injuries as a result of that altercation."
Sanchez was hospitalized with stab wounds to his upper right torso,
the initial affidavit signed by a police detective said. The truck
driver, identified as P.T., had a cut to his left cheek, it said.
Authorities have not said whether the truck driver might also faces
charges, but Mears noted that Indiana “has some of the most robust
self-defense laws in the nation.”
Sanchez had been scheduled for a hearing Tuesday on the original
misdemeanor charges but that was rescheduled to Nov. 4. Sanchez
remained hospitalized and was listed in stable condition Monday
morning.
One of Sanchez’s attorneys, James Voyles, declined to comment on the
case.
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New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan, right, talks with quarterback
Mark Sanchez (6) before an NFL football game between the Tennessee
Titans and the New York Jets on Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, in Nashville,
Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne, File)
“This has been a deeply distressing time for everyone involved. Mark
and our family are incredibly grateful for the concern, love, and
support we’ve received over the past few days,” Sanchez’s brother,
Nick, said in a statement released Monday. “Mark remains under
medical care for the serious injuries he sustained and is focused on
his recovery as the legal process continues. We would like to extend
our heartfelt thanks to the first responders and medical staff.”
Mark Sanchez was in Indianapolis for the network’s coverage of
Sunday’s game between the Colts and the Las Vegas Raiders.
The prosecutor said police are still gathering information and have
several outstanding search warrants. He also said surveillance video
captured the incident from multiple angles.
“I don’t care who you are. I don’t care what you do for a living. I
don’t care where you live,” the police chief said. “If you come into
our city, commit violence, we will use all the tools at our disposal
to hold you accountable."
President Donald Trump weighed in late Monday, saying he knew
Sanchez “a little bit” and was surprised by the incident.
“I feel bad,” Trump told Newsmax. “He’s a nice guy. I don’t know
what happened.”
Sanchez had a 10-year NFL career before retiring in 2019. He spent
four seasons with the Jets and also appeared in games with
Philadelphia, Dallas and Washington.
He appeared on ABC and ESPN for two years before joining Fox Sports
as a game analyst in 2021.
___
Associated Press writers Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis and Aamer
Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.
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