Lincoln Riley pressed on his relationship with Mark Sanchez following former USC QB's arrest

Mark Sanchez was arrested this weekend following a stabbing incident that left the former USC star hospitalized. Sanchez is reportedly facing a potential Level 5 felony battery charge for his alleged actions.

In the wake of the violet incident, USC head coach Lincoln Riley was asked about his relationship with the former Trojans quarterback. Riley answered around the question, instead wishing well to everyone in their recovery.

“All I’ll say about that is, prayers for everyone involved,” Riley said after practice on Wednesday. “I don’t know much about the situation probably more than anybody else. It sounds like a tough situation and just hope that everybody involved is okay.”

Sanchez played for USC from 2005-2008, and Riley didn’t become head coach of the Trojans until 2022. It wouldn’t be surprising to know that the pair didn’t have much of a relationship outside of their ties to the USC football program.

At the same time, Riley wasn’t likely going to say much about Sanchez after much of the details regarding the incident were released. Evidence has since been released that puts Sanchez at fault as the alleged aggressor of the incident.

News broke on Saturday morning that Sanchez had been hospitalized following a stabbing incident. The former USC and veteran NFL QB was reportedly in critical, then stable condition, after being stabbed in an altercation downtown in Indianapolis. He was in town to call a Colts game for FOX. He was later arrested at the hospital while in recovery.

The Level 5 felony battery charge that he’s currently facing brings with it a sentence that can result between one and six years behind bars. Perry Tole, the 69-year-old victim of the alleged Sanchez assault, is reportedly suing him and FOX for compensation related to his injuries.

Tole is referred to as “P.T.” in the charging documents, which are a combination of witness accounts and surveillance footage gathered at and from near the scene. Tole, a deliver driver, reportedly told police that he believed Sanchez was going to kill him, and defended himself. Sanchez reportedly took exception for parking in a loading dock, so Tole originally mistook him for a manager of one of the nearby hotels.

Now, the matter will be settled through the legal process and both Sanchez and Tole recover from their injuries suffered during the altercation. For this, Lincoln Riley wished them all the best in their recovery.

He’ll hope to have his Trojans’ focus solely on the Michigan Wolverines this weekend. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET live on NBC.