The family of the truck driver allegedly attacked by Mark Sanchez has revealed that he is recovering well, despite graphic photos of his injuries appearing online.
Sanchez, a former NFL quarterback and currently a Fox TV analyst, was taken to the hospital with severe injuries early Saturday morning after a stabbing incident with the driver near Loughmiller’s Pub & Eatery in downtown Indianapolis.
The 38-year-old was also arrested by Indianapolis police for battery resulting in injury, unlawful entry into a motor vehicle, and public intoxication following the shocking altercation.
TMZ Sports reported that Sanchez was released from the hospital on Sunday before being taken to jail to be processed for the brawl he is accused of initiating. The outlet further mentioned that his $300 cash bond was already covered by his attorney.
Graphic images depicting the driver with a significant gash on his face while wearing a neck brace in his hospital bed surfaced on Sunday. However, his family informed The New York Post that he is ‘okay’.
They reportedly stated, ‘We are consulting with lawyers first. We want to be cautious about what’s communicated. We appreciate the concern,’ and expressed their shock over the ex-football star’s attack on their relative.
The family of the driver allegedly attacked by Mark Sanchez have said he is recovering well
Sanchez, who is married to actress Perry Mattfeld, was hospitalized and arrested over the fight
‘His family says he was cut in the fight and it went through his cheek and hit his tongue,’ Fox59 anchor Angela Ganote added.
Sanchez, who shares two children with Hollywood-star wife Perry Mattfeld, was in Indianapolis to cover the Colts’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Following his hospitalization and arrest, he was replaced in the booth by another ex-quarterback, former Notre Dame star Brady Quinn.
It is currently unclear if he was released or remained in custody overnight after being processed through jail. Daily Mail has reached out to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and Sanchez’s management for more information.
The former New York Jets star allegedly accosted the truck driver, who believed he was in danger, at a loading dock in downtown Indianapolis, according to an affidavit obtained by ESPN.
As the confrontation escalated, the driver, out of fear, is said to have sprayed him in the face with pepper spray.
Sanchez reportedly continued to advance towards the driver, who thought he was ‘trying to kill me’ and therefore pulled a knife, striking him ‘two or three times.’
The driver said he was then thrown against a dumpster, leaving him to believe he was in a ‘life-or-death situation,’ before a ‘look of shock’ came over Sanchez’s face and he took off.
Sanchez reportedly told a police officer that ‘all he could remember was grabbing for a window.’ He added that he didn’t know who stabbed him or where the incident occurred.
He was reportedly stabbed in the chest during a dispute with a delivery driver at Loughmiller’s Pub & Eatery in downtown Indianapolis (pictured)
The ex-NFL star, pictured with wife Perry and son Daniel, was in town to work for Fox Sports
Sanchez was set to call the Indianapolis Colts-Las Vegas Raiders game Sunday for the network
He is said to have sustained multiple stab wounds to his right torso. The driver also suffered a laceration on his left cheek and was taken to a different hospital than the Fox broadcaster for treatment.
He told police that the dispute started over Sanchez telling him that he was barred from standing in the loading dock, per the orders of the hotel manager, according to TMZ.
He claimed that he could smell alcohol on his breath and that he was slurring his words.
TMZ’s Michael J. Babcock also reported that Sanchez had no recollection of what happened during the incident, according to someone who spoke with the ex-passer on Saturday morning.
Babcock added that he was ‘very out of it’ during that conversation due to being sedated.
More details of Sanchez’s behavior on the night later emerged, with Fox59 reporting – via a source – that he was doing ‘wind sprints’ in the alleyway shortly before the violent altercation occurred.
It is also claimed that the ex-passer wasn’t cooperative with responding police officers at the scene.
