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Ex-professional football player Mark Sanchez was charged with battery with injury, being drunk in public, and illegally entering a car following an early morning incident in the city that left him hospitalized with stab wounds.

Key Facts of the Confrontation

Based on an affidavit, Sanchez confronted a 69-year-old truck driver at a hotel loading bay. The driver stated he thought “Sanchez is trying to kill me” and used pepper spray to defend himself. When the spray failed to halt Sanchez from moving toward him, the man reported stabbing Sanchez “multiple times”. He then allegedly pushed the driver against a dumpster before a look of shock appeared on his face and he “ran away”.

Detectives have reviewed recorded video of the incident. Bystanders reported that Sanchez and the driver recorded one another with their cellphones throughout the altercation.

Officials stated in the legal document, “Mr Sanchez is seen running after [the man] and the video shows him grabbing and throwing [the man] towards the wall of the hotel.”

Origin of the Conflict

The dispute allegedly started after Sanchez and the driver disagreed about a parking spot.

Injuries and Aftermath

This altercation left Sanchez with knife injuries to his torso, while the other man sustained cuts to his face. Sanchez was hospitalized for his injuries, which were non-fatal, before he was taken into custody on Saturday. He is due to appear at a hearing on Tuesday morning.

Based on the legal filing, he informed officers “the only thing he recalled was grabbing for a window.” He did not remember who stabbed him or where the incident occurred.

Official Response

“What happened was avoidable,” a prosecutor commented. “What began as a dispute between a 38-year-old former professional athlete and a senior citizen ought not to have turned into violence or left anyone seriously injured. As with any case, we will follow the facts and the law wherever they lead.”

Professional Impact

Sanchez was in the city to report on the Colts’ game with the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon as part of his Fox Sports responsibilities. A fellow ex-player replaced Sanchez in the broadcast booth for the event. The network addressed the situation briefly on their sports program, with a host saying: “we are all still trying to wrap our heads around it … our thoughts and prayers are with him, his loved ones and everyone affected”.

He joined Fox in recent years and also works on FS1 studio programming.

Background

Prior to becoming an analyst, the athlete competed for 10 seasons in the league with several teams, including the one team, who drafted him early in the annual selection. He subsequently joined the another team and Dallas Cowboys. He ended his playing career in July 2019 and soon after started at a sports network before moving to Fox.

Off the field, he married his wife, Perry, in last year. The pair shares a family of five.