Former Jets quarterback and commentator Mark Sanchez has been fired by Fox Sports ahead of his criminal trial for assaulting a truck driver.
“We can confirm that Mark Sanchez is no longer with the network. There will be no further comment at this time,” the network told the New York Post.
In October, Sanchez was arrested after a violent altercation outside a hotel in Indianapolis, where he was traveling to cover a Raiders-Colts game.
The 69-year-old victim, Perry Tole, sued Fox Sports for compensatory and punitive damages, alleging the network "knew or should have known” about Sanchez’s “unfitness as an employee, propensity for drinking and/or harmful conduct."
Sanchez, who was allegedly drunk during the late-night incident, was set off by the truck driver blocking an alley where Sanchez was doing sprints.
Tole said he stabbed Sanchez in self-defense after pepper spray failed to stop the crazed sports star, who allegedly threw Tole to the ground and slashed him through the cheek with his own knife - leaving Tole "permanently disfigured."
"This guy is trying to kill me,” Tole told police.
Tole suffered a "severe laceration to the side of his face, penetrating all the way through his left cheek," according to court documents, and the man's attorneys released a grisly photo of him spattered in blood in his hospital bed.
Sanchez, 38, was also seen on surveillance camera with a big blood stain on his shirt.
He was initially charged with misdemeanors, but prosecutors added a felony battery count due to the severity of the victim's injuries.
"This incident should never have happened,” Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement. “What began as a disagreement between a 38-year-old former professional athlete and a 69-year-old man should not have escalated into violence or left anyone seriously injured. As with any case, we will follow the facts and the law wherever they lead.”
While Sanchez has not commented on his firing, his family issued a statement expressing "disappointment" at the turn of events.
“It’s been a long month for Mark as he continues to recover from serious injuries while also grieving the loss of a close friend,” Mark’s brother, Nick, said in a statement from the Sanchez family.
“While the recent news — and its timing — is understandably disappointing, our priority remains his continued healing and recovery. Mark deeply values his time at Fox and the exceptional colleagues he’s had the privilege to work with. Those relationships are meaningful and will endure.”
