The knife Perry Tole claims he needed to protect himself from Mark Sanchez might actually have been in violation of a strict policy with his employer ... TMZ Sports has learned.
Restaurant Technologies -- the delivery company the 69-year-old was working for at the time of the alleged attack -- told us, like many companies, its rulebook "includes language restricting the possession of weapons while performing work duties or on company property."

Speaking to police, Tole stated he pulled out a knife on the former New York Jets quarterback after pepper spray wasn't effective -- stabbing him multiple times in the upper torso.