New Jersey school district to shun events with referee who forced wrestler to cut dreadlocks

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

High School Sports

New Jersey school district to shun events with referee who forced wrestler to cut dreadlocks

By Des Bieler
Sports reporter covering national topics, including fantasy football, as well as supporting coverage of D.C.-area teams
December 27 at 2:07 AM

A New Jersey school district announced Wednesday it will shun any event with a referee who forced a 16-year-old wrestler to cut his dreadlocks during a recent meet. (1) The incident, which caused national headlines and raised questions of racial and cultural bias, is under investigation by the state's civil rights agency.

The announcement was reportedly made during an emergency meeting held by the Buena Regional Board of Education, with superintendent David C. Cappuccio Jr. saying (via CNN) he has informed the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) that his "school district and its athletic teams will not compete in any contest officiated by this referee from this point forward." (2)

A spokesman for the NJSIAA said Monday that the referee, Alan Maloney, will not be assigned to any more events until further notice. In a video that went viral last week, 120-pound wrestler Andrew Johnson of Buena Regional High School was visibly upset as his hair was shorn, following an ultimatum from Maloney that the teenager was to submit to that or forfeit his Dec. 19 match against an opponent from a rival school.
....

Des Bieler is a staff writer in Sports who covers a wide variety of topics, including fantasy football. He first settled in at The Post in 1995 and has proved difficult to dislodge. Follow https://twitter.com/DesBieler

(1) https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/12/21/referee-high-school-wrestler-cut-your-dreadlocks-or-forfeit/?utm_term.4eea62c57284

(2) https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/26/us/wrestler-dreadlocks-new-jersey-emergency-meeting/index.html

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/12/27/nj-school-district-shun-events-with-referee-who-forced-wrestler-cut-dreadlocks/

[uppityperson]

1. K&R

[Pachamama]

2. Shun or Ban?

Trying to understand exactly what they are doing....

[matt819]

3. Why punish the athletes?

Ok, this racist is on hiatus. Wanna bet he still has a job when the furor dies down?

He should be fired. This is a no-brainer.

[Just a Weirdo]

4. Why the ref isn't fired

I do not understand. It's a simple but firm message.

[AwakeAtLast]

5. That kid is a hero in my book!

His act of submission was much more powerful than forfeiting and gained much more attention. He needs to be supported!

[Paladin]

6. That asshole Maloney needs to lose his ref job, immediately.

He already had a bad reputation, for racially insulting another official. No more excuses---get rid of the guy.

[RAB910]

7. This isn't even his first incident

He used a racial slur against a fellow ref who was African American. This is classic Trump level racism with this guy

[The Wizard]

8. Sue him personally as

well as the school district and the State high school athletic commission.