Every year on the fourth Thursday of November folks gather to celebrate Thanksgiving. The holiday is synonymous with food, family and football. But since one tragic moment for New York Jets fans, Thanksgiving has become a yearly reminder of the Butt Fumble.

Mark Sanchez’s infamous gaffe took place on Thanksgiving night in 2012. The play that has become a visual representation of embarrassing ineptitude turned 13 this year. And while the Butt Fumble would be making the rounds today as it does every Thanksgiving, the play is receiving extra attention this year in the wake of Sanchez’s stabbing and arrest last month.

While most fans assumed the Butt Fumble marked the low point of Sanchez’s life, the former quarterback would Butt Fumble his broadcasting career over a decade later. Sanchez was fired by FOX after being arrested for felony battery. He had worked as an NFL analyst for the company since 2021.

Mark Sanchez will never put the Butt Fumble behind him

New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (6) runs against the New England Patriots during the second half on Thanksgiving at Metlife Stadium.
Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The 39-year-old former quarterback and analyst was seriously injured in a bizarre incident on October 4 in Indianapolis. Sanchez was in town to cover the Colts’ Week 5 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders for FOX. However, the night before the game he allegedly instigated a physical altercation with a truck driver and was hospitalized in critical condition after being stabbed.

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It soon became clear that police considered Sanchez the aggressor and he was arrested on three misdemeanors while recovering in the hospital. Authorities would upgrade the battery charge to a felony the following day. FOX Sports cut ties with Sanchez in early November.

The mystifying turn of events adds a new layer to the Butt Fumble. It boggles the mind that one man was responsible for both incidents – each life altering in its own way.

The fumble viewed ‘round the world took place during the Jets’ Week 12 matchup against the New England Patriots. Sanchez attempted to hand the ball off to the up back but turned the wrong way. Attempting to make the most of a broken play, he took off running but immediately collided with right guard Brandon Moore. The lineman's backside jarred the ball loose and sent Sanchez tumbling to the turf, creating the Butt Fumble.

The former USC standout enjoyed immediate success after being drafted fifth overall in 2009, quarterbacking the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship Games. But the magic wore off in an 8-8 2011 season.

Then the following year, the Butt Fumble unofficially ushered in a period of comic incompetence that the Jets remain mired in to this day. New York hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2010, the longest active postseason drought in football. And Sanchez will always be remembered for the infamous play on Thanksgiving night in 2012.