Mark Sanchez was charged with three misdemeanors over the weekend in relation to the incident in which he was stabbed in Indianapolis, and the former NFL quarterback is now facing at least one felony charge as well.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced in a news conference on Monday that a felony charge of battery involving serious bodily injury has been filed against Sanchez after authorities received an amended probable cause affidavit. The charge is a Level 5 felony in Indiana and carries a punishment of up to 1-6 years in prison.
“One of the things that I want to stress to everybody is that we are still in the early stages of this investigation,” Mears told reporters. “Chief and his team have a number of search warrants that are still outstanding. They’re still tracking down additional information. This is by no means the end of this investigation. This by no means means that these are gonna be the final charges that we move forward with.”
#BREAKING: Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears says his office has now filed a felony charge of battery resulting in serious bodily injury against former NFL QB and FOX analyst Mark Sanchez for his alleged role in an attack on a 69 y/o man over the weekend in Indianapolis pic.twitter.com/0zutbjS1P5
— Max Lewis (@MaxLewisTV) October 6, 2025
On Sunday, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office announced that Sanchez had been charged with three misdemeanors. The felony charge has now been added, and Mears said there could be more charges filed depending upon what the investigation uncovers.
Sanchez was hospitalized for stab wounds early Saturday morning. A short while later, he was arrested after police reviewed evidence that suggested Sanchez accosted a 69-year-old truck driver at a hotel loading dock. Reports have claimed Sanchez confronted the driver about where the man had parked before the situation escalated.
The truck driver said Sanchez was aggressive with him to the point where the driver feared for his life. The man says he sprayed Sanchez in the face with pepper spray but that Sanchez continued to advance toward him.
The driver of the truck said he was thrown against a dumpster by Sanchez and believed he was in a “life-or-death situation,” so the man pulled a knife and struck Sanchez “two or three times.”
Sanchez suffered several stab wounds to his right abdomen, according to police. The driver had a laceration to his face, and the men were taken to two separate hospitals and treated.
The New York Jets drafted Sanchez out of USC with the No. 5 overall pick in 2009. Sanchez helped lead the Jets to the AFC Championship Game twice, but his tenure in New York was not viewed as a success. He played five seasons for the Jets and then bounced around to several other teams, mostly as a backup.
Sanchez has worked as a broadcaster since his NFL career fizzled out in 2018, first for ESPN and later for FOX. He was in Indianapolis to call Sunday’s game between the Colts and Las Vegas Raiders, but he was replaced by fellow former quarterback Brady Quinn for Week 5.