Mark Sanchez on The Herd in February 2022. Credit: Fox Sports
By Sam Neumann on

Mark Sanchez is facing more serious charges after prosecutors reviewed evidence from his alleged attack on a 69-year-old truck driver in Indianapolis.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced Monday that his office has upgraded the charges against the Fox Sports analyst to include a Level 5 felony of battery resulting in serious bodily injury. The charge carries a potential sentence of one to six years in prison.

Sanchez was initially charged Sunday with three misdemeanors after allegedly confronting and attacking the truck driver early Saturday morning in downtown Indianapolis. He was arrested at the hospital where he was recovering from stab wounds he sustained during the altercation.

“We received an amended or an additional probable cause affidavit this morning,” Mears said at a Monday press conference. “Again, this was something that happens in virtually every case here in Marion County. And with that additional information, we have added more serious charges against Mr. Sanchez.”

Mears stressed that the investigation remains in its early stages. The felony charge came after prosecutors reviewed the extent of the victim’s injuries and considered the 69-year-old’s age.

“This was a situation that did not need to occur,” Mears added. “You have the allegations of a 38-year-old man becoming involved in an altercation with a 69-year-old man who sustained significant, very severe injuries as a result of that altercation. We are literally talking about people fighting over a parking space and it resulted in someone just incredibly significant injuries.”

According to court documents, Sanchez confronted the driver at a loading dock over where he’d parked his truck. The driver told police that Sanchez smelled of alcohol and was slurring his speech, and that Sanchez climbed into the cab of his truck despite being told not to enter.

When the confrontation escalated outside the truck, the driver pepper-sprayed Sanchez. When Sanchez continued advancing, the driver said he feared for his life and pulled a knife, stabbing Sanchez multiple times. The driver has not been charged with any crime.

Sanchez was initially in critical condition before being upgraded to stable. He was discharged Sunday morning and taken directly to Marion County Jail, where he posted a $300 cash bond.

The Fox analyst was in Indianapolis to call Sunday’s Raiders-Colts game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Brady Quinn replaced him in the booth alongside Chris Myers. Fox addressed the situation during its Sunday pregame shows with carefully worded statements that didn’t mention the arrest or charges.

Mears emphasized that the investigation is ongoing and that the current charges may not be final. Sanchez’s attorneys reportedly requested to waive his initial hearing scheduled for Tuesday and instead set a date for a pretrial conference.

Fox has not commented on Sanchez’s future with the network.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann