Former NFL quarterback the sports analyst was accused of assault causing harm, public intoxication, and illegally entering a car following a Saturday altercation in Indianapolis that resulted in his hospitalization with stab wounds.
According to an affidavit, Sanchez confronted a 69-year-old truck driver at a hotel loading bay. The driver claimed he thought “this guy is trying to kill me” and used a defensive spray to protect himself. When the spray did not stop the former athlete from moving toward him, the man reported stabbing the former quarterback “two or three times”. He then reportedly pushed the man against a trash container before an expression of surprise appeared on his face and he “ran away”.
Detectives have reviewed recorded video of the incident. Bystanders reported that both individuals recorded one another with their cellphones throughout the altercation.
Officials stated in the affidavit, “The suspect is seen running after [the man] and the video shows Mr Sanchez seizing and hurling [the man] towards the wall of the Westin hotel.”
The confrontation allegedly started after Sanchez and the trucker disagreed about a parking space.
This altercation left Sanchez with knife injuries to his upper body, while the driver suffered cuts to his face. The former player was hospitalized for his wounds, which were not life-threatening, before he was taken into custody on that day. He is due to appear at a court session on Tuesday morning.
According to the legal filing, he informed officers “the only thing he recalled was reaching for a window.” He did not remember the identity of his assailant or where the incident occurred.
“This incident should never have happened,” the county attorney commented. “Starting as a disagreement between a ex-sports star and a 69-year-old man should not have escalated into violence or caused severe harm to anyone. In line with standard procedure, we will adhere to evidence and regulations wherever they lead.”
Sanchez was in the city to report on the football match with the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon as part of his Fox Sports duties. Another former NFL quarterback replaced Sanchez in the booth for Sunday’s game. The network acknowledged the incident in passing on their sports program, with a host remarking: “it’s a confusing situation … we wish the best for him, his family and everyone affected”.
Sanchez joined Fox in recent years and also contributes to sports studio shows.
Before his broadcasting career, Sanchez played a decade in the NFL with several teams, including the one team, who drafted him early in the 2009 draft. He subsequently joined the another team and a third franchise. He ended his playing career in mid-2019 and soon after began working with a sports network before moving to his current employer.
In his personal life, Sanchez wed his partner, his spouse, in last year. The pair shares three children.
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