Fox Sports on Friday confirmed that NFL commentator Mark Sanchez, who was stabbed last month and hospitalized for his injuries following an alleged altercation with a 69-year-old truck driver, won’t be returning to the network.
“We can confirm that Mark Sanchez is no longer with the network,” a spokesperson told The Associated Press in a statement. “There will be no further comment at this time.”
The former NFL quarterback and analyst was reportedly sent to Indianapolis last month to cover a game before he was stabbed.
Fox Sports was “deeply grateful” at the time to announce Sanchez was in stable condition, only for the Indianapolis Metro Police Department to announce later that Sanchez was also facing criminal charges for his alleged role in the encounter with 69-year-old Perry Tole.
Prosecutors say Sanchez started the altercation and that Tole was doing his job for a cooking oil disposal company when Sanchez aggressively approached him.
A police affidavit based on Tole’s statements and nearby security camera footage says Sanchez approached Tole and his box truck in the loading docks of a hotel, instigating a fight about whether Tole was allowed to be there before Sanchez physically accosted the driver.
Tole then pepper-sprayed Sanchez and used a knife in self-defense, leaving Sanchez with wounds to the upper right torso. Tole was hospitalized with a severe gash on his face and told police that Sanchez smelled of alcohol at the time of the incident.
Kyusung Gong/Associated Press
Sanchez was charged with three misdemeanors at the time: battery with injury, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle and public intoxication. Tole has since sued Fox and Sanchez, whose misdemeanor battery charge was later upgraded to a felony.
“I want to be clear about this: I don’t care who you are, I don’t care what you do for a living, I don’t care where you live,” said Indianapolis Metro Police Department Chief Chris Bailey during a press conference in October. “If you come into our city, commit violence, we will use all the tools at our disposal to hold you accountable.”
Sanchez will be replaced at Fox Sports by fellow NFL retiree Drew Brees, per CNN.
