The top 10 Crime and Justice Stories of the Year - #5 Mark Sanchez - "THE PARKING LOT BRAWL: HOW AN NFL LEGEND DESTROYED HIS CAREER

0:03 Caalaroga Shark Media. Good morning, I'm Reed Carter. Friday, December nineteenth, twenty twenty five. We're counting down the top ten crime and justice stories of twenty twenty five. Today number five, October fourth, twenty twenty five. Twelve thirty in the morning, downtown Indianapolis, an alley behind the Weston Hotel, A sixty nine year old truck driver named Perry Tole is doing his job. Backed his truck into the hotel's loading dock, servicing commercial Friar oil late night work routine. Then a man approaches, thirty eight years old, six foot two, two hundred thirty pounds, smelling of alcohol, slurring his words, running wind sprints in an alley at twelve thirty am. That man is Mark Sanchez, former New York Jets quarterback, two time a AFC Championship game participant, Rose Bowl MVP, current Fox Sports analyst in town to call the Colts versus Raiders game the next day. What happens next will end his broadcasting career. Send both men to the hospital, leave one permanently disfigured, and land the former NFL star facing felony charges all over a parking space Sanchez allegedly told Tolly he couldn't park there, climbed into Tolly's truck cab without permission, blocked Toll from calling his manager, shoved him, total pepper sprayed Sanchez. Sanchez kept advancing. Toll pulled a knife,

1:37 stabbed Sanchez multiple times. Sanchez threw Toll into a dumpster, both men bleeding. Both men hospitalized. Sanchez in critical condition with stab wounds to the chest, Toll with a deep slash through his cheek that penetrated all the way through, permanently disfiguring him. And here's the twist. Sanchez was arrested, Toll was not because prosecutors determined Tolu acted in self defense. I'm reed Carter today, number five on our countdown. The parking lot brawl that destroyed an NFL legend's second career, the sixty nine year old truck driver who fought back, and the question everyone's asking, what the hell was Mark Sanchez thinking? This is celebrity trials. Ten minutes. Let me paint you the picture of what happened that night. October third, twenty twenty five, Friday, Mark Sanchez arrives in Indianapolis with the Fox Sports crew. He's scheduled to call Sunday's game between the Indianapolis Colts and Las Vegas Raiders, alongside play by play announcer Adam Amin and sideline reporter Christina Pink standard weekend assignment, routine work. At some point Friday night, Sanchez went out. We don't know exactly where. Reports suggest lof Miller's Pub, a bar on the same block as the Weston Hotel. The civil lawsuit later added Saint Elmo's parent company, Hughes Culinary as a defendant, suggesting dramshop liability,

3:07 meaning they may have overserved him. What we know for certain. By twelve thirty am Saturday morning, Mark Sanchez was intoxicated running wind sprints in an alley behind the Western Hotel at night alone, smelling of alcohol, speech slurred. Perry Toll was working sixty nine years old drives for a company that services commercial frying oil. Had backed his truck into the hotel's loading dock, exchanging oil. Standard late night work. Been doing this job for years. Then Sanchez approached. Surveillance video from the alley, well covered by cameras, shows what happened next. Sanchez approached the truck, told Tolly he couldn't park there, claimed he'd spoken to the hotel manager. Tolly was confused. He was at a loading dock doing his job.

3:56 Where exactly was he supposed to park. Witnesses saw both men recording each other on their phones, the confrontation escalating. Then Sanchez climbed into Tolly's truck cab without permission, uninvited. A thirty eight year old former professional athlete entering a sixty nine year old man's workspace, told tried to call his manager. Sanchez blocked him, grabbed his phone, shoved him. This guy is trying to kill me, Toll later told police. Toll hit Sanchez with pepper spray self defense. The younger, larger, stronger man was aggressive, threatening. Tola felt his life was in danger. Pepper spray didn't stop Sanchez. He kept advancing, eyes burning, still coming. Toll pulled a knife, a working man's tool, carried it for years, never thought he'd need it for this. He stabbed Sanchez multiple times, two or three wounds to the uppright torso chest area, trying to stop the attack, but Sanchez didn't stop. Surveillance video shows him throwing Toll toward a wall, throwing him to the ground.

5:02 Toll says Sanchez threw him into a dumpster. He landed on pallets, could only see Sanchez's feet coming at him. Finally, Sanchez looked at Tolly with shock, turned around, fled north through the alley, made it to Loft Miller's Pub on the same block, bleeding from stab wounds. Police arrived, found Sanchez at the bar critical condition. Rushed to Esconazi Hospital, spent a week in the ICU. Toll was also transported to a separate hospital. Deep slash to the side of his face. The wound penetrated all the way through his left cheek. Injuries to his mouth, jaw, tongue, bleeding profusely, speech affected, permanent disfigurement. His son was getting married the following week. Perry Toll couldn't attend his own son's wedding because of what Mark Sanchez allegedly did to him. Let that sink in. A sixty nine year old man working a late night shift to make a living gets attacked by a drunk former NFL player over a parking space, defends him self, gets his face slashed open, misses his son's wedding, all because Mark Sanchez couldn't handle his liquor and couldn't mind his own business. Make it make sense. Initially, Marion County prosecutors charged Sanchez with three misdemeanors battery resulting in injury, public intoxication, and unlawful entry of a motor vehicle,

6:33 but then they learned the full extent of Perry Toll's injuries. October sixth, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears held a press conference upgraded the charges level five felony battery involving serious bodily injury, punishable by one to six years in prison. Mears put it plainly, this was a situation that did not need to occur. We are literally talking about people fighting over a parking space and or a dispute about where people are parking, and it resulted in someone receiving just incredibly significant injuries. Indianapolis Police Chief Chris Bailey was even more direct. I want to be clear about this. I don't care who you are, I don't care what you do for a living. I don't care where you live.

7:17 If you come into our city and commit violence, we will use all the tools at our disposal to hold you accountable. Perry Toll was not charged prosecutors determined his actions were self defense. Indiana has some of the most robust self defense laws in the nation. When a larger, younger, intoxicated man advances on you after being pepper sprayed, you have every right to protect yourself. Toll's attorney, Eric May described his client's condition. You can see from the pictures that he's got an enormous wound cut on his face that impacted his jaw, mouth, and tongue. The scarring that he has and is going to have it affects his speech right now. May call Toll a tough son of a gun. Said he's worked his whole life, was just doing his job when this happened. Sanchez was discharged from the hospital October twelfth, arm in a sling booked at Marion County Jail. Released on bond, spoke briefly to reporters outside.

8:16 I'm just focused on my recovery and i just want to thank the first responders. But I'm focused on my recovery and i just want to see my wife. I want to see my son, my two baby girls. There'll be a day to answer all these questions, and unfortunately today is not that day. Translation, no comment, no apology, no explanation. Sanchez returned home to California. Trial originally scheduled for December eleventh, his attorneys requested a delay, granted new trial date March twelfth, twenty twenty six. Final pre trial conference March third. Meanwhile, the civil lawsuit expanded. Toll sued Sanchez and Fox Corporation claims against Sanchez, assault and battery claims against Fox, negligent hiring, retention, and supervision. The lawsuit alleges Fox knew or should have known about defendant Sanchez's unfitness as an employee, propensity for drinking and or harmful conduct.

9:16 That's a significant allegation. Toll's lawyers will seek discovery any evidence of previous incidents, Sanchez's drinking habits on the road, how he behaved at company functions, whether Fox exercised reasonable care to protect innocent bystanders. Saint Elmo's parent company, Hughes Culinary, was also added as a defendant dram shop liability. Did they overserve Sanchez? Did they contribute to his intoxication? The civil case will take years discovery, depositions, motions, Eventually trial. Sanchez and Fox could be on the hook for millions and on November seventh, twenty twenty five, exactly one month after the incident, Fox Sports made it official. We can confirm that Mark Sanchez is no longer with the network.

10:06 There will be no further comment at this time. Fired done career over, a Fox insider told The Daily Mail. We knew it had to happen. So many people get fired around here. If they had kept him on, that would have sent the wrong message. He had to go. I don't think anyone is cheering exactly, but we all knew it was the right call. Less than an hour after announcing Sanchez's termination, Fox announced his replacement, Drew Brees, Super Bowl MVP, future Hall of Famer, the network's new number four broadcast team. Analyst from the Sanchiz to unemployed from Rose Bowl MVP to criminal defendant from NFL playoff hero to the guy who attacked a sixty nine year old truck driver over a parking space your tax dollars at work. To understand how far Mark Sanchez has fallen, you need to understand how high he once flew. Born November eleventh, nineteen eighty six, in Long Beach, California, Mexican American heritage grew up idolizing USC quarterbacks. His childhood friend, Scotty McKnight's mom hired his brother as a bartender. The families became close. Sanchez and McKnight both ended up playing for the New York Jets together. Sanchez attended Mission Viejo High School, recruited by USC, backed up John David Booty, and Matt Leinart before finally getting his chance in two

11:37 thousand and eight. That year, he exploded led USC to a twelve and one record Rose Bowl against Penn State. Sanchez threw for four hundred and thirteen yards, second most in Rose Bowl history, four touchdowns, one MVP. The Trojans crushed the Nitney Lions thirty eight to twenty four. USC head coach Pete Carroll didn't want to leave, thought he needed another year of development, warned him about the low success rate of quarterbacks leaving college early. Sanchez disagreed, declared for the two thousand and nine NFL Draft. Became the first USC quarterback since Todd Marinovitch in nineteen ninety to leave school early. The New York Jets traded up to select him fifth overall, first quarterback taken by the Jets in the first round since Chad Pennington in two thousand.

12:26 New head coach Rex Ryan was so excited he eventually got a tattoo of his wife wearing Sanchez's jersey. That's how much faith they had in this kid. And for two glorious years, Mark Sanchez delivered. Rookie season, led the Jets to the AFC Championship Game, lost to the Indianapolis Colts, but became the fourth rookie quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game, the second to win two playoff games. Second season, even better, more weapons, Santonio Holmes, Ladanian Tomlinson. Another AFC champion Ship appearance, lost to Pittsburgh, but back to back conference championship games. Only Ben Rethlisberger had done that before. Jets fans were euphoric, the Sanchiz was real, super Bowl was coming just a matter of time. Then everything collapsed. Twenty eleven eight and eight record missed playoffs, Questions about Sanchez's decision making, twenty twelve disaster, and one play that would define his legacy forever. November twenty second, twenty twelve Thanksgiving Night, MetLife Stadium, national television audience of twenty million people, Jets versus Patriots second quarter, Jets trailing, Sanchez took the snap, faked a hand off, turned to run upfield. Instead of finding a hole, he ran directly into the backside of his own offensive linemen Brandon Moore

13:56 bounced off, fumbled. Patriots recovered for a touchdown the butt fumble it became the worst play in NFL history, according to ESPN, number one on sports centers, not top ten for forty consecutive weeks. Eventually retired from the segment because nothing could beat it. Jets superfan Fireman ed As alone left that game at halftime and didn't return to another Jets game until twenty fifteen. That's how demoralizing it was. Sanchez was benched the following week. Released by New York in twenty fourteen, bounced around Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington never started consistently again. Retired in twenty nineteen with a career record of thirty seven and thirty five as a starter, but he found a second act broadcasting. Joined ABC and EESPN, then Fox Sports in twenty twenty one, became the analyst alongside Adam Amine on Fox's number four broadcast crew. It was a good gig, stable, well paid. Sanchez was rebuilding his reputation, proving he had more to offer than the button fumble. Then came October fourth, twenty twenty five, one night, one parking space, one sixty nine year old truck driver, and Mark Sanchez threw it all away. Now he's facing felony charges, civil lawsuits potentially worth millions. No job, no

15:26 broadcasting career, just lawyers and courtrooms and the memory of what he did to Perry Tole. Thirteen years after the butt fumble, Mark Sanchez found a new way to become a punchline. Except this time it's not funny. This time a working man is permanently disfigured. This time there are criminal charges. This time prison is a real possibility. Smart enough to lead an NFL team to the AFC Championship, too drunk and stupid to leave a truck driver alone at twelve thirty in the morning, Make it Make sense. Number five on our countdown of the top ten crime and justice stories of twenty twenty five. Mark Sanchez, thirty nine years old, former NFL quarterback, former broadcaster, now facing level five felony battery charges one to six years in prison if convicted. Civil lawsuits from Perry Toll against him and Fox Corporation career destroyed reputation in tatters, all because he allegedly attacked a sixty nine year old truck driver over a parking space while drunk at twelve thirty in the morning in an alley behind his hotel. His trial is scheduled for March twelfth, twenty twenty six. We'll cover it when it happens. Perry Toll is still recovering deep facial wound that penetrated through his cheek, permanent disfigurement, speech affected, missed his son's wedding, but he's alive, he defended himself, and he wasn't charged with a single crime. Mark Sanchez's brother released a statement after the firing. It's been a

16:58 long month for Mark as he continued to recover from serious injuries while also grieving the loss of a close friend. While the recent news and its timing is understandably disappointing, our priority remains his continued healing and recovery. No mention of Perry Toll, no apology to the man his brother allegedly attacked, No acknowledgment of the damage done. That tells you everything you need to know. Tomorrow. Number four on our Countdown, Cardi B beats the case, how the Grammy winning rapper avoided prison after throwing bottles at bartenders in a Queen's strip club, and why the verdict has everyone asking if celebrity justice is really equal justice. I'm read Carter see you tomorrow for number four. This is Celebrity Trials.