Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Politics/National
NationalNews

Investigation Launched As Outrage Grows Over White Referee Forcing a Black New Jersey Wrestler To Cut His Locks 

Posted byBy Daryl Nelson | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

A referee from New Jersey is not allowed to work any new matches as an investigation began over his actions to force a Black high school student to cut his dreadlocks before a match.

Andrew Johnson was moments away from facing an opponent before referee Alan Maloney said in order for the teen to continue he would need to cut his hair. Despite Johnson wearing something over his head to cover his locks, Maloney insisted the teen’s hair fell outside of regulation. In fact, Johnson was told to either cut his locks or forfeit the match.

A high school wrestler from New Jersey was forced to cut his dreadlocks by a white referee before a match.

Twitter

Johnson agreed to cut them, and he was clearly upset about it. In the end, he won the match but when his hand was raised in victory he looked totally dejected, despite his teammates trying to boost him up.

Outrage over the incident was swift once a video clip surfaced. But even more anger grew when it was learned that Maloney has a racist history and got into a physical altercation after he called someone a racial slur.

The incident took place in 2016 when the referee was at a social function and uttered the slur before the Black man on the receiving end body slammed him. Maloney apologized, according to TMZ, for the incident and was forced to take sensitivity training by his employer.

“You can’t grow dreads over night,” someone commented after seeing the clip. “This kid has been wrestling with dreadlocks for a long time. This was wrong.”

“[It’s] not only the ref that was outta line,” another person chimed in. “It’s the schools, other officials that were there.”

“Every adult in that high school failed,” commented a third person.

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association released a statement to TMZ,

“The NJSIAA has been in direct contact with school officials and is now awaiting official incident reports. A report also has been requested from the referee involved. In addition – and as per its formal sportsmanship policy – the NJSIAA has provided initial information to the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights and will continue to send updates as they become available.

“At this point, the NJSIAA is working to determine the exact nature of the incident and whether an infraction occurred.

“As a precautionary measure, given the degree of attention being focused on this matter, the NJSIAA will recommend to chapter officials that the referee in question not be assigned to any event until this matter has been reviewed more thoroughly in order to avoid potential distractions for the competing wrestlers.”

You can see the video below.

 

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top