Fox broadcaster Mark Sanchez was hospitalized and arrested over the weekend following an early morning incident in Indianapolis. Sanchez was in Indianapolis to call the game between the Colts and Raiders with Chris Myers. With Sanchez unavailable, Fox needed someone to replace him on extremely short notice so the network turned to another former college football star and former NFL quarterback in Brady Quinn.
When news broke of Sanchez's hospitalization on Saturday morning, Quinn was in Ann Arbor, Mich., with the network's college football crew for Big Noon Kickoff. SI's Albert Breer texted with Quinn about replacing Sanchez at the last minute and how he made it work on such short notice.
Rather than fly from Michigan to Indiana, Quinn took a car service home to Ohio to get a fresh suit and see his family. He watched tape and had video and phone calls with Colts coach Shane Steichen and assistants from both teams during his ride home and then in his home office before he caught a few hours of sleep. He even helped his wife, former Olympic gymnast Alicia Sacramone, feed their eight-month old baby early in the morning before getting up at 5 a.m. to catch another ride to Indianapolis.
“It’s been a whirlwind to say the least—not much sleep and mixed emotions,” Quinn said via text, from the van, heading home. “Obviously concerned for Mark’s health and the well-being of all those involved, but at the same time excited for the opportunity to call a game. However, it’s not ideal. I pride myself on preparation, and there’s not enough time to prepare in the manner I am accustomed to. I’m very appreciative of all the folks behind the scenes at Fox and coaches on both teams who went out of their way to help."
Quinn arrived in Indianapolis in plenty of time to call the game with Myers, with the retired quarterback noting that there was no sideline reporter on the broadcast which left Quinn and Myers alone to "talk ball for three hours."
Despite a lopsided 40-6 win for the home team, Quinn was happy with how the broadcast went. Considering the circumstances, Fox probably agrees.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Brady Quinn Reveals Details of Being Fox’s Last-Minute Replacement for Mark Sanchez .
