Field Gulls
We have a change in the broadcast booth on our hands.
On Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars at Jacksonville’s EverBank Stadium for Week 6, with Fox Sports providing broadcast coverage of the game. Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez was set to serve as the game’s color commentator, working alongside play-by-play announcer Chris Myers. However, Sanchez has since been removed from the broadcast, and has been replaced by three-time Super Bowl champion offensive guard Mark Schlereth.
The former No. 5 overall pick was arrested following an alleged altercation over a parking space. Sanchez, 38, allegedly confronted a 69-year-old truck driver, Perry Tole, who had parked his work truck in the loading dock of an Indianapolis hotel. In a lawsuit, Tole is said to have “suffered severe permanent disfigurement’ as a result of the incident, including damage to his head, jaw and neck” (via USA Today). Sanchez was initially hospitalized with stab wounds before he was placed under arrest.
In addition to a series of misdemeanor charges including battery resulting in injury and public intoxication, Sanchez is also facing a felony charge of battery resulting in serious bodily injury. If he is found guilty of the felony battery charge, Sanchez could face up to six years in jail, as reported by The Guardian.
The former New York Jets QB was in Indianapolis last weekend to call the Colts-Raiders matchup for Week 5, but was subsequently replaced by Brady Quinn following the incident.
Following his retirement from the NFL in 2019, Sanchez began calling college football broadcasts for ESPN before switching to Fox in 2021. Fox has yet to comment on Sanchez’s long-term future with the network.
