How Much Jail Time Will Mark Sanchez Get After Stabbing Incident? Inside Former Football Star's Felony Battery Charges

Former football star Mark Sanchez was involved in a brutal stabbing, where he was later hospitalized and arrested for his involvement.

The athlete now faces a felony, and fans are curious how much jail time he could receive.

The analyst was allegedly involved in a stabbing that occurred in a hotel alleyway around 12:30 a.m. on October 4. Authorities responded to calls of two people injured, where Sanchez was rushed to the hospital with critical injuries to his upper torso.

Sanchez was later arrested at the area hospital on three misdemeanor charges after the victim, an elderly truck driver, alleged that he stabbed Sanchez in self-defense, according to court documents obtained by multiple outlets. The fight began after Sanchez was allegedly upset that the driver had parked his vehicle on a loading dock used to collect cooking oil, per the docs.

“This incident should never have happened,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears told the Indy Star. “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.”

Documents also indicated the 69-year-old man, who suffered a laceration to the face, was defending himself. Security footage obtained by authorities showed the truck driver backing away from Sanchez, who followed him.

"Sanchez is seen running after [the man] and the video shows Mr. Sanchez grabbing and throwing [the man] towards the wall of the Westin,” the Indy Star reported. The confrontation continued to escalate, the truck driver allegedly sprayed Sanchez with pepper spray and, believing his life was in danger, stabbed him “two or three times.”

Sanchez originally received three misdemeanor charges – battery with injury, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle and public intoxication – for his role in the attack.

Sanchez’s charge was upgraded to a Level 5 felony charge of battery on October 6 by Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears. Punishment can range from one to six years, according to Mears.

"One of the challenges you have in a case like this is that you are dealing with individuals who are receiving medical care and that's, obviously, the most important thing, that individuals are treated appropriately," Mears said, per ESPN. "But once we were provided with additional information about the victim's current medical condition, it became clear to us that additional charges needed to be filed."