Report: Mark Sanchez faces 1 to 6 years in prison with Level 5 felony stemming from stabbing incident

Mark Sanchez reportedly faces a Level 5 felony battery charge stemming from his arrest this weekend after a stabbing in Indianapolis. The former QB was reportedly in critical, then stable condition, after was stabbed in an altercation downtown.

Later reports from police said Sanchez was at fault for the incident and the other unidentified party was seemingly acting in self defense. Sanchez was hospitalized but later arrested while in recovery. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero had more.

“Authorities in Indianapolis have announced at a press conference that former NFL quarterback and Fox analyst Mark Sanchez now also faces a Level 5 felony battery charge,” Pelissero wrote on Twitter. “(A sentence) which carries a 1- to 6 (years in jail).”

Sanchez was in town ahead of Sunday’s NFL game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Indianapolis Colts, though he was replaced by Brady Quinn in the FOX booth. Sanchez is scheduled to appear in a Marion County court Tuesday.

The charging document details the altercation between Sanchez and a man identified as “P.T.” based on a combination of first-hand accounts and video provided by both parties and surveillance video from the nearby Indianapolis Marriott Downtown hotel. Surveillance video showed the former QB appeared to be the aggressor, approaching P.T., a delivery driver who was parked in a loading dock connected to the neighboring Westin Hotel.

Sanchez and P.T. appear to exchange words, with the former NFL star repeatedly pursuing the delivery driver even as he attempts to walk away from the former NFL quarterback. Surveillance video then shows “Mr. Sanchez grabbing and throwing P.T. towards the wall of the Westin” before the two begin fighting beside a nearby dumpster, according to the affidavit.

In his statement to police, P.T. revealed Sanchez approached him and told the delivery driver he couldn’t park in the loading dock area. The victim then said Sanchez “smelled of alcohol and his speech was slurred,” per the affidavit.

P.T. told police he didn’t initially know who Sanchez was but assumed he was a manager of one of the hotels because he was “well dressed and groomed.” At this point, the current FOX analyst entered the delivery truck but exited after another exchange of words.

The interactions began to escalate when Sanchez blocked P.T. from retrieving his cell phone from the truck, according to the affidavit, and then shoved P.T. Realizing he was in “physical danger,” P.T. reportedly pepper sprayed Sanchez, but it only impacted the FOX Sports analyst momentarily, and then pulled his knife because he told police he thought “this guy is trying to kill me,” per the affidavit.

P.T. then stabbed Sanchez “two or three times” before the delivery driver was thrown into the side of the dumpster by the former NFL QB. Sanchez reportedly continued to assault the victim on the ground, but P.T. eventually made it to his feet, at which point he stabbed the former quarterback again.

Sanchez, looking shocked at being stabbed again, then fled on foot before meeting police outside a nearby pub, where he revealed “several stab wounds to his upper right torso area.” Both Sanchez and P.T. were taken and treated at local hospitals with police later arresting the former USC Trojans star on three charges.

Sanchez played 10 years in the NFL as a quarterback, notably for the New York Jets from 2009-13. He was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft out of USC.

At USC during his college career, Sanchez was a star, especially in 2008 when he was the full-time starter. He threw for 3,207 yards, 34 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 65.8% completion percentage.

Alex Byington contributed to this report