FOX Sports Fires Mark Sanchez

FOX Sports Fires Mark Sanchez

The News

Mark Sanchez has been fired by Fox Sports following his arrest over a stabbing incident in Indianapolis, a network rep confirmed to The Post.

The former Jets quarterback is facing charges for felony battery and three misdemeanors after he allegedly got into a fight with a truck driver outside an Indianapolis hotel in early October.

While Sanchez was the one stabbed, authorities allege he was the instigator in the incident that left Perry Tole, a 69-year-old truck driver, hospitalized.

Sanchez had been in Indianapolis ahead of a Raiders-Colts game he was set to call for the network.

He smelled of alcohol and was “acting erratically,” according to police.

The 38-year-old took issue with the driver blocking an alley next to the hotel where he allegedly was running sprints, and the situation escalated from there.

“This guy is trying to kill me,” Tole relayed to police of his thinking when he supposedly stabbed Sanchez.

“I’m just focused on my recovery and I just want to thank the first responders, Eskenazi Hospital, Marion County Sheriff, and the Indianapolis Police Department, metro PD, But I’m focused on my recovery, and I just want to see my wife, I want to see my son, my two baby girls,” Sanchez said.

Timeline

Oct. 12

Sanchez ignored questions about the assault when he was questioned by Fox 59 when leaving Marion County Jail after getting booked on his charges on Oct. 12.

Reactions

“We can confirm that Mark Sanchez is no longer with the network. There will be no further comment at this time,” the rep said.

“It’s been a long month for Mark as he continues to recover from serious injuries while also grieving the loss of a close friend,” Mark’s brother, Nick, said in a statement from the Sanchez family.

“While the recent news — and its timing — is understandably disappointing, our priority remains his continued healing and recovery. Mark deeply values his time at Fox and the exceptional colleagues he’s had the privilege to work with. Those relationships are meaningful and will endure.”

“This incident should never have happened,” Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement.

“What began as a disagreement between a 38-year-old former professional athlete and a 69-year-old man should not have escalated into violence or left anyone seriously injured. As with any case, we will follow the facts and the law wherever they lead.”

What's Next

College football analyst and former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn stepped in on the fly to cover Sanchez on the Raiders-Colts game.

The network found a long-term replacement when it hired Drew Brees earlier this week to work alongside Adam Amin, Sanchez’s former play-by-play partner.

More

Tole is suing Sanchez, claiming to be “permanently disfigured.”

Sanchez has not publicly spoken since, except to grieve the loss of former Jets teammate Nick Mangold, who died two weeks ago over complications from kidney disease.

The Super Bowl-winning quarterback with the Saints previously worked at NBC after retiring from the NFL.

UMass Dartmouth Running Back, 18, Stabbed to Death

Trump Vows 'AI Force,' Czar; Polls Name Change

Iran Sends Trump Three Conditions to End War

Faulty AI Intel Nearly Started War With China

German General Breuer Elected NATO's Top Officer

Nobel Laureate: War, Sanctions Crushing Iranians

Dutch Police Disperse Violent Far-Right Hague Protest

GOP Midterm Odds Fade With 45 Days Left

Maher Rejects Tarlov's Claim Democrats Are Less Crazy

Patrick Clancy Breaks Silence After Ex-Wife Killed Kids

Trump Cuts Park Staff, Diverts Fees to DC

Holocaust Heirs Sue LA Museums Over Looted Art

Trump's Fed Chair Hikes Rates, Defying White House

Miller Drives Push to Deport Illegal Immigrant Children

US Lifts Sanctions on Eritrea's Military, Ruling Party

Air Force Admits US Has Space Weapons

Turkey Revokes License of Iran's Mellat Bank

Billionaire Ratcliffe Blasts Britain Over Immigration, Taxes

Navajo Nation Flash Flood Kills Three

Explosions Over Riyadh Trigger Saudi Air Alerts