INDIANAPOLIS (Court TV/Scripps News Indianapolis) — A trial date has been set for former NFL quarterback and sports analyst Mark Sanchez in his battery case.
Court records show Sanchez, 38, will stand trial in Marion County, Indiana, on Dec. 11, 2025. Sanchez is facing a felony battery charge and three misdemeanor charges for an alleged altercation with a truck driver.
Mark Sanchez booking photo. (IMPD via Scripps News Indianapolis)
The alleged victim, 69-year-old Perry Tole, also filed a civil lawsuit against Sanchez and his employer, the Fox Corporation, for damages and a jury trial. His attorneys claim Tole suffered “severe permanent disfigurement, loss of function, other physical injuries, emotional distress and other damages” as a result of Sanchez’s actions.
Last week, Sanchez was booked and released from the Marion County Jail after he was discharged from the hospital. A judge granted Sanchez’s petition to travel but ruled he must be booked and fingerprinted before he leaves the state.
Sanchez, who lives in California, traveled to Indianapolis to call the Indianapolis Colts game against the Las Vegas Raiders when he got into an alleged altercation with Tole.
According to an amended probable cause affidavit, Sanchez approached the truck driver, who works for a company servicing fryer oil at the Westin Hotel loading dock. Surveillance video shows Sanchez telling the driver he couldn’t park there and climbing into the truck cab without permission.
When Tole tried to call his manager, Sanchez reportedly blocked him from getting his phone. The situation escalated when Sanchez allegedly shoved the driver, who then reportedly pepper-sprayed Sanchez.
Tole told police he thought “this guy is trying to kill me” and pulled a knife, stabbing Sanchez multiple times during the fight. Tole said he was thrown into a dumpster and fell onto pallets on the ground. While on the ground, he said he could only see Sanchez’s feet coming at him, making him realize it was a “life-or-death situation.”
Tole said he somehow made it back to his feet, and when Sanchez came at him again, he stabbed Sanchez “the last time.” Sanchez then looked at him with “a look of shock,” slowly turned around and fled north through the alley.
According to the affidavit, Tole suffered a severe laceration that penetrated all the way through his left cheek.
Sanchez played 10 seasons in the NFL after being drafted fifth overall by the New York Jets in 2009. He joined FOX Sports as a college football analyst in 2019 and moved to NFL games as an analyst in 2021.
Scripps News Indianapolis, an E.W. Scripps Company, contributed to this report.
