Fox Sports parts ways with Mark Sanchez

In a move that has been expected since last month’s bizarre incident in Indianapolis, Fox Sports has parted ways with former NFL quarterback and game analyst Mark Sanchez.

Via Andrew Marchand of TheAthletic.com, Fox has announced that Sanchez and Fox Sports have parted ways.

“We can confirm that Mark Sanchez is no longer with the network,” a Fox spokesperson said, per Marchand. “There will be no further comment at this time.”

Sanchez was stabbed in an altercation with a 69-year-old truck driver on October 4. Sanchez was later charged with multiple crimes, including felony battery.

The truck driver, Perry Tole, also filed a civil lawsuit against Sanchez and Fox. That dynamic prompted speculation that Fox would circle the wagons around Sanchez, given the company’s potential liability for negligent hiring, supervision, and retention of Sanchez.

It’s possible, if not likely, that Fox’s lawyers fully investigated the situation and concluded that Sanchez knows nothing that could hurt the company’s interests in the case. Alternatively (or additionally), it’s possible that Fox and Sanchez negotiated a settlement agreement that requires him to cooperate with the joint defense against the lawsuit — and that Fox’s lawyers have secured from Sanchez a statement that prevents a potentially disgruntled Sanchez from later giving testimony that would fuel the claims against Fox.

Regardless, Sanchez’s time with Fox is over.