Former NFL star Mark Sanchez fired from Fox after near-fatal fight with truck driver

Mark Sanchez, the former NFL quarterback and TV analyst, has lost his job at Fox News following a violent altercation in Indianapolis last month.

“We can confirm that Mark Sanchez is no longer with the network. There will be no further comment at this time,” a Fox Sports spokesperson told People on Friday.

Drew Brees, who was also an NFL quaterback, will replace Sanchez as game analyst alongside Adam Amin through the 2026 season.

The Independent has contacted Fox Sports for comment.

Sanchez is currently facing a felony charge of battery resulting in serious bodily injury and three misdemeanor charges of battery resulting in bodily injury, unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, and public intoxication that endangers the life of another for his alleged role in the altercation last month.

Mark Sanchez, 38, is no longer working for Fox Sports, the company announced Friday, after an October stabbing incident in Indianapolis (Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department)Fox had placed Sanchez on leave following the October 4 incident in downtown Indianapolis. He was in the city to call the Colts game that weekend.

The former Jets and Eagles star allegedly assaulted 69-year-old truck driver Perry Tole in an alley between the Westin and Marriott hotels in the city.

According to local reports, Sanchez approached Tole’s box truck and began talking with him. Video footage of the alleged incident shows Sanchez pursuing the man, who backs away, before a fight broke out.

The driver said he believed Sanchez was “trying to kill him” and stabbed the former quarterback in self‑defense. The confrontation left both men hospitalized with serious injuries.

Tole then filed a lawsuit against Sanchez and Fox Corporation in Indiana, alleging that Sanchez started the fight, leaving him with severe, permanent injuries and emotional distress.

Mark Sanchez played in 10 NFL seasons – but won’t be on Fox anymoreThe suit claims Sanchez smelled of alcohol and that Tole used pepper spray before stabbing him in self-defense. It also alleges Fox Sports “knew or should have known about Sanchez’s unfitness as an employee, propensity for drinking and/or harmful conduct.”

Sanchez’s trial is scheduled to start on December 11, though prosecutors are doubtful that date will hold.

Sanchez left the hospital and arrived at the Marion County Jail with his arm in a sling for booking on October 12. As he left, he told reporters he was focused on recovery and thanked first responders and his surgeon for saving his life.

Sanchez played 10 NFL seasons before retiring in 2019, spending four years with the Jets and later playing for the Eagles, Cowboys, and Washington.

He worked for ABC and ESPN before becoming a Fox Sports game analyst in 2021.