Mark Sanchez
Mark Sanchez (born in Mission Viejo, CA) is a college football quarterback attending the University of Southern California (USC).
College Career
Sanchez was a very highly recruited player and received high praise on his arrival at USC[1]. As of April 26, 2006, the redshirt freshman was being considered, along with redshirt junior John David Booty, to replace Heisman-winner Matt Leinart as starting quarterback of the USC Trojans' well-regarded football team. His work as the quarterback of USC's scout team earned Sanchez USC's Service Team Offensive Player of the Year Award his freshman year.
High School Career
Sanchez attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School and then transferred to Mission Viejo High School where he threw for 2,600 yards, 29 touchdowns, and only four interceptions as a junior. With a 75 percent completion rate, he rushed for 90 yards and had a touchdown receiving on a reverse throwback. Sanchez was named a first team all-league, county, and CIF. Sanchez carried a 3.7 GPA and has scored 1180 on the SAT. As a senior, Sanchez was 114-186 for 1746 yards, 16 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. In 2004, Sanchez was named high school "Player of the Year" by several major college recruiting services.
2006 Arrest
On April 26, 2006, Sanchez was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault. A 19 year old female USC student accused Sanchez of pressuring her to have sexual intercourse with him, in his room at the Cardinal Gardens Apartments, despite her protestations. When she informed her mother of the incident, her mother called the police and the Los Angeles Police Department surrounded Sanchez's apartment building, arresting both Sanchez and his roommate, fellow USC football player Brian Cushing. [2]
Sanchez was released from jail the following day, after posting $200,000 bail, but USC placed him on interim suspension that suspended him from the football team but permitted him to take his semester finals, albeit separate from the general student body and under the supervision of campus security.[3]
On June 3, 2006, the Los Angeles district attorney's office announced it would not press charges against Sanchez due to a lack of evidence[4], and USC reinstated Sanchez but he remained subject to team-related discipline for underage drinking and using a fake ID on the night he was arrested[5]. This followed a series of other incidents on campus the previous few months, where Sanchez was detained by USC's Department of Public Safety for a variety of infractions, including breaking a fraternity house window, public intoxication and disruptive behavior. [6]
References
- ^ Steward Mandel, Next in line? Sanchez could be the next great Trojan QB, Sports Illustrated, January 19, 2005, Accessed June 3, 2006
- ^ Scott Wolf, Some Sanchez Background, Inside SoCal, May 22, 2006, Accessed Oct. 18, 2006. (NOTE: Scott Wolf is the USC beat writer for the Los Angeles Daily News.
- ^ USC Suspends Football Player Under Investigation, KNBC, April 26, 2006, Accessed Oct. 18, 2006.
- ^ Gary Klein, Sanchez Won't Face Charge, Los Angeles Times, June 3, 2006, Accessed June 3, 2006
- ^ Gary Klein, Sanchez Says He's Been Reinstated by University, Los Angeles Times, 06/06/06, Accessed 06/06/06
- ^ USC Suspends Football Player Under Investigation, KNBC, April 26, 2006, Accessed Oct. 18, 2006.