Former NFL quarterback and current Fox Sports analyst Mark Sanchez was formally charged on Sunday for his role in an incident which took place in Indianapolis. Sanchez was initially charged with three misdemeanors, but his case will now include at least one felony count.
Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears announced Monday morning that Sanchez now faces a felony battery charge involving serious bodily injury, via Fox 59’s Angela Ganote. That Level 5 charge carries a prison sentence of one to five years. Mears added the case is still being investigated, so further charges could be forthcoming.
A $300 bond was posted Sunday, as detailed by Mark Maske and Ben Strauss of the Washington Post. An initial court hearing had been scheduled for Tuesday, but Ganote notes Sanchez’s attorneys have now filed a motion to waive that proceeding. Instead, they are seeking a pre-trial conference. The judge overseeing this case has granted the motion, per Ganote. As a result, the first proceeding in this case will be a conference on Nov. 4.
Sanchez – whose NFL career lasted from 2009-18 and included time spent with six different franchises – is alleged to have instigated an altercation with a 69-year-old man this past weekend. The alleged victim was sent to hospital with “serious injuries.” Sanchez was stabbed multiple times and also hospitalized. As of Monday morning, the 38-year-old is in stable condition but still in hospital, via Ganote.
Sanchez was in Indianapolis to work as Fox’s color analyst for the Raiders-Colts Week 5 game. The network has yet to comment on the situation aside from its statement issued Saturday afternoon following Sanchez’s hospitalization and arrest. Per Maske, Sanchez’s attorneys have no comment at this time.
