“Deport to alligator island”: NFL fans react to Mark Sanchez facing new Level 5 charge after Indianapolis stabbing incident

Former NFL quarterback turned analyst Mark Sanchez is reportedly facing an upgraded Level 5 felony assault charge for his altercation with a 69-year-old truck driver in Indianapolis on the weekend.

Sanchez originally faced charges of battery resulting in injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a motor vehicle. However, prosecutors in Indianapolis reportedly upgraded his charges on Monday for his alleged assault.

According to Indiana’s criminal code, the sentencing carries one to six years in prison with a potential fine of up to $10,000.

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Fans reacted to Sanchez facing a prison sentence on social media.

"Deport to alligator island."

"Fumbled his life away."

"Has FOX ever done a GameDay inside a prison?"

As punishment they should make him suit up again for the Jets.

"The whole situation sounds insane to me."

"Damn, got stabbed, likely fired, and looking at a jail bid. Life comes at you fast lol."

Sanchez was hospitalized after he was stabbed multiple times in his altercation on Saturday. Meanwhile, the truck driver suffered a large laceration on his left cheek. The NFL analyst was arrested by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department at the hospital.

Mark Sanchez reportedly confronted truck driver, leading to an altercation

According to reports, Mark Sanchez confronted the truck driver for allegedly parking in an alley. Sanchez reportedly tried to enter the vehicle, escalating the situation, per video footage of the incident.

The truck driver alleged that Sanchez was intoxicated and he used his knife to defend himself before the former NFL player fled the scene. Sanchez could be facing strict punishment if found guilty, per Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears.

“I don’t care who you are. I don’t care what you do for a living. … If you come into our city, commit violence, we will use all the tools at our disposal to hold you accountable,” Mears said.

Sanchez is due in court for a hearing on Tuesday and is likely to be transferred to a major felony court after his charges were upgraded.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash