UPDATE: Mark Sanchez In ‘Stable Condition’ After Stabbing Attack In Indianapolis
Mark Sanchez
UPDATE: Mark Sanchez, the former NFL quarterback who is now a Fox pro football commentator, is in “stable condition” after he was stabbed multiple times early on Saturday morning in Indianapolis, ESPN reported on Saturday afternoon.
TMZ, the first outlet to report the attack, reported police received a call about 30 minutes after midnight on Saturday that two men were injured in downtown Indianapolis — one being Sanchez, who was rushed to the hospital in “critical condition.”
ESPN’s update came about an hour after the news broke.
“We are deeply grateful to the medical team for their exceptional care and support,” A Fox Sports representative told ESPN. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Mark, and we ask that everyone please respect his and his family’s privacy during this time.”
The Indianapolis Metro Police Department, in a statement, said it was investigating a “physical disturbance” between two men, with one man receiving injuries consistent with stab wounds, while the other received lacerations. Detectives believe it was an “isolated incident” between two men and not a “random act of violence,” the statement added.
Max Lewis, a reporter for CBS 4 in Indianpolis, posted on X the police report indicated Sanchez “may have been the aggressor.”
Lewis posted:
“Sanchez allegedly attacked a food delivery man after he told the driver he couldn’t park in the alley and needed to leave. The driver told cops that Sanchez began to follow and threaten him. He said Sanchez then attacked him and he fought back using pepper spray.”
That did not stop Sanchez, the man told police, so he used a knife to defend himself, Lewis added. That driver was taken to a local hospital with a “significant injury to his face,” Lewis reported.
Sanchez played eight seasons in the NFL between 2009 and 2018 after being drafted as the fifth overall pick out of USC; his most memorable years came as the starting QB for the New York Jets, which included two straight trips to the AFC title game in 2009 and 2010. He also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins — now named the Commanders — before retiring and going into broadcasting.
The 38-year-old Southern California native in Indianapolis to call the Colts-Raiders game on Sunday for Fox.
TMZ reported it is “unclear” what led to the violent attack against Sanchez.
Sanchez joined Fox as a college football analyst in 2019, and two years later, he switched over to calling pro games as a color analyst.
The ex-Jets star married his wife Perry in 2023 and has three children.
Local police on Saturday, in the IMPD’s statement, said the “case will be presented to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office for a charging decision.”
