Former NFL star Mark Sanchez reaches settlement over stabbing altercation

Former NFL quarterback and Fox Sports analyst Mark Sanchez has reached an agreement in principle with the truck driver who stabbed him during an altercation last October, according to the Athletic.

Sanchez was stabbed and pepper sprayed by Perry Tole, who was 69 at the time, during the incident in Indianapolis, where the former New York Jets star was due to cover an NFL game between the Colts and Las Vegas Raiders. Prosecutors said Tole used pepper spray and a knife to defend himself ​after Sanchez attempted to enter ‌his truck during an argument over a parking spot.

Tole suffered “significant injuries to his head, jaw and neck” and ‌was seeking damages for his injuries, according to court documents in the civil case. The incident left Sanchez with stab wounds to his torso, and the former quarterback later said the surgeon who operated on him “saved my life”.

Last month, Sanchez’s lawyers filed a motion to plead guilty to at least one charge in his criminal case; that charge has not been specified. He was charged with one felony count of battery resulting in serious ‌bodily injury, and misdemeanor charges of unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, public intoxication endangering the life of another, and battery resulting ​in bodily injury. A hearing in Sanchez’s criminal case is scheduled for next month.

Fox Sports cut ties with Sanchez after his arrest.

Sanchez joined Fox in 2021 and also contributed to FS1 studio programming. Before his broadcasting career, Sanchez played 10 seasons in the NFL with several teams, including the Jets, who took him with the fifth overall pick of the 2009 draft. He later played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. He retired in July 2019 and soon after began working with ESPN’s college football coverage before moving to Fox.