Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Report: Did Mark Sanchez Romance A 17-Year-Old Girl?
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 5, 2011
Modified Feb 5, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 5, 2011
Modified Feb 5, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Last summer, Deadspin reported about a little known quarterback with a penchant for sexting photos of his unit to certain former Jets sideline reporters; the report was met with a healthy amount of skepticism, and criticisms about printing innuendo and rumor. Of course, that story was eventually tacitly acknowledged to be completely true, lending more credibility to Deadspin. Now yesterday, Deadspin reported that they've been working on a story about Jets QB Mark Sanchez's alleged romancing of a 17-year-old girl.
According to editor A.J. Daulerio, the 17-year-old girl "reached out to us first and agreed to cooperate. Then she didn't. Then she did again." Then he was sent a letter from her lawyer, asking them not to print any story, because there was no story, and threatening legal action in return. But Daulerio claims he has proof straight from the girl: "photos she sent to us from her Blackberry of Mark Sanchez's bedroom— supposedly taken on her cell phone after she spent the night with him a few weeks ago." In the letter, the lawyers make reference to said evidence, adding, "if this is in fact true, be advised that such photograph(s) constitute property stolen..." For the record, the age of consent in NY state is 17, and in NJ it is 16. The Jets released this statement about the allegations: “We are not going to discuss Mark’s private life." But hey, maybe they just liked watching Disney films together?
While we'll have to wait for Tuesday to find out what exactly this whole alleged scandal is about, one lingering Sanchez mystery has been solved: Sanchez revealed the truth behind Boogergate, which stemmed from the clip of Sanchez wiping what looked like a booger on teammate Mark Brunell's jersey during the Jets/Steelers playoff game. He told ESPN radio that the booger-in-question wasn't a real one, more “like a cold weather, like almost-runny-nose-not-even-a-real-booger.” He said: “I have been getting so many text messages and phone calls about this. We just have fun and joke around and keep things light because that is the way I play my best. I did not want it to be a disrespectful thing, obviously, and he knew that. I called him the very next day, ‘I am so sorry. I feel so bad’ and he said, ‘Oh don’t worry about it. Only 55 million people saw you fake-wipe a booger on me.’”
Tagged
boogergate
deadspin
jets
mark sanchez
romance
rumors
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .