Former NFL star Mark Sanchez could face six years in jail af...

Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez could face jail time after he was charged with felony battery on Monday.

The charge is in addition to three others he was handed on Sunday after a violent confrontation earlier in the weekend. Those charges were for battery with injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a vehicle during the incident early on Saturday morning that left Sanchez, who has worked as a Fox Sports analyst since his retirement from playing, hospitalized with stab wounds.

Monday’s charge is for level-five felony battery involving “serious bodily injury”, which can result in a jail sentence of up to six years and a $10,000 fine.

“One of the challenges you have in a case like this is that you are dealing with individuals who are receiving medical care and that’s, obviously, the most important thing, that individuals are treated appropriately,” Marion county prosecutor Ryan Mears said on Monday. “But once we were provided with additional information about the victim’s current medical condition, it became clear to us that additional charges needed to be filed.”

Sanchez was stabbed and pepper sprayed by a 69-year-old truck driver during the incident in Indianapolis, where the former New York Jets star was due to cover an NFL game between the Colts and Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Sanchez allegedly confronted the driver, known only as “PT” in the police affidavit, at a loading bay outside a hotel. PT says he was picking up used cooking oil from the hotel when Sanchez, who he claims smelled of alcohol, attempted to enter the truck. PT says Sanchez told him the manager of the hotel said he did not want the oil picked up.

PT said he believed Sanchez was “trying to kill me” and used pepper spray to protect himself. When the spray did not stop Sanchez advancing on him, PT said he stabbed the former quarterback “two or three times”. Sanchez then allegedly threw PT against a dumpster before “a look of shock” came across his face and he “took off”. Detectives have reviewed video footage of the incident. Witnesses said Sanchez and PT filmed each other with the cellphones during the incident.

According to the affidavit, Sanchez told police “all he could remember was grabbing for a window.” He did not remember who stabbed him or where the incident occurred.

The incident left Sanchez with stab wounds to his torso while PT suffered deep cuts to his face. On Monday, Mears described PT’s injuries as “very severe”. Sanchez’s injuries were not life-threatening. He was due to appear in court on Tuesday, but the hearing has been moved until 4 November as he is still being treated in hospital, where he is listed as in a stable condition.

“We’re literally talking about people fighting over a parking space,” said Mears. He added that a number of witnesses as well as security cameras had given police a clear picture of the incident.

Another former NFL quarterback, Brady Quinn, replaced Sanchez in the Fox booth for Sunday’s game. Fox acknowledged the incident briefly on Sunday’s pregame show, with host Curt Menefee saying: “we are all still trying to wrap our heads around it … our thoughts and prayers are with Mark, his family and all those involved”.

Sanchez joined Fox in 2021 and also contributes to FS1 studio programming.

Before his broadcasting career, Sanchez played 10 seasons in the NFL with several teams, including the New York Jets, who took him with the fifth overall pick of the 2009 draft. He later played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. He retired in July 2019 and soon after began working with ESPN’s college football coverage before transitioning to Fox.