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Ex-professional football player the sports analyst has been charged with battery with injury, being drunk in public, and illegally entering a car following an early morning incident in the city that left him hospitalized with stab wounds.

Details of the Altercation

Based on court documents, the Fox Sports analyst confronted a 69-year-old truck driver at a hotel delivery area. The older man stated he thought “Sanchez is trying to kill me” and deployed pepper spray to defend himself. After it failed to halt the former athlete from advancing on him, the driver reported stabbing Sanchez “two or three times”. Sanchez then reportedly pushed the man against a dumpster before an expression of surprise came across his face and he “ran away”.

Investigators have reviewed video footage of the event. Bystanders said that Sanchez and the driver recorded one another with their cellphones during the incident.

Police wrote in the affidavit, “The suspect is seen chasing [the man] and the video depicts him seizing and hurling [the man] towards the wall of the hotel.”

How It Started

The dispute reportedly began after the analyst and the driver disagreed about a parking space.

Injuries and Aftermath

The incident resulted in knife injuries to his upper body, while the other man sustained cuts to his face. The former player was hospitalized for his wounds, which were non-fatal, before he was taken into custody on that day. He is scheduled to appear at a court session on Tuesday morning.

Based on the legal filing, he told police “all he could remember was grabbing for a window.” He could not recall who stabbed him or where the incident occurred.

Authorities’ Statement

“What happened should never have happened,” the county attorney commented. “Starting as a dispute between a 38-year-old former professional athlete and a senior citizen should not have escalated into a physical fight or caused severe harm to anyone. In line with standard procedure, we will adhere to evidence and regulations in pursuit of justice.”

Professional Impact

The analyst was in the city to report on the Colts’ game with the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon as part of his Fox Sports responsibilities. Another former NFL quarterback stepped in for Sanchez in the broadcast booth for the event. The network acknowledged the incident in passing on Sunday’s pregame show, with a host remarking: “we are all still trying to wrap our heads around it … we wish the best for him, his loved ones and all those involved”.

Sanchez began with the network in 2021 and also works on FS1 studio programming.

Previous Career

Prior to becoming an analyst, Sanchez played a decade in the league with multiple franchises, including the New York Jets, who took him with the fifth overall pick in the annual selection. He subsequently joined the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. 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, he wed his partner, Perry, in last year. The couple has a family of five.