NJ School To Meet After Alleged Racist Ref Made Wrestler Cut Hair

BUENA, NJ - Officials in a New Jersey school district will hold an emergency meeting tonight, one week after a referee with an alleged racist past told a wrestler to cut his dreadlocks or forfeit a match.

The wrestler’s parents have also spoken out, and an Olympic wrestler has weighed in on the controversy that has drawn national attention.

The Buena Regional School District’s Board of Education will meet in the high school’s media center at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 26, the school district announced. The board will discuss personnel matters. Official action may be taken.

Below the announcement on the school district’s website, officials posted a copy of the letter that was sent to parents about the situation. Referee Alan Maloney told Buena High School wrestler Andew Johnson that he had to cut his dreadlocks or forfeit his match during a dual meet last week.

In the letter, the district explained that the referee is assigned by the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), a state agency, and that the school has no input as to who is assigned to the match.

When Johnson stepped onto the mat for his match against Oakcrest, Maloney told him his hair length and headgear weren’t in compliance with regulations. He told Johnson if he didn’t cut his hair, he would have to forfeit the match. Johnson decided to cut his hair so he wouldn’t have to forfeit.

But Maloney didn’t attend the weigh-ins or express any concern about Johnson’s hair length or need to wear a head covering before the start of the dual meet, Johnson’s parents said in a statement.

“Wrestling has taught Andrew to be resilient in the face of adversity. As we move forward, we are comforted by both the strength of Andrew’s character and the support he’s received from the community,” his parents said in the statement, according to CBS 3. “We will do all that we can to make sure that no student-athlete is forced to endure what Andrew experienced.”

A school trainer cut Johnson's hair while he was on the mat. Here is the video:

The next day, the coach, athletic director and principal at the high school contacted the parents to discuss the situation. The principal and athletic director then contacted the NJSIAA, which said it would investigate the incident.

The NJSIAA assistant director and the high school principal reached an agreement that Maloney wouldn’t be assigned to any more Buena matches.

“The staff and administration within the Buena Regional School District will continue to support and stand by all of our students and student athletes,” Superintendent David C. Cappuccio Jr. said in the letter.

He also said the school district is cooperating with the NJSIAA in the investigation, and would take further action as more details became available.

Maloney reportedly used a racial slur at a social gathering of officials in 2016, according to the Courier-Post. He used the slur in an argument over homemade wine in a Jersey Shore condominium, prompting another official, Preston Hamilton, who is black, to slam Maloney to the ground.

“You know, people do make mistakes and I apologized,” Maloney told the Courier-Post at the time. “I really don't think this should go any further than it's gone anyhow. … The remark was not made to him. After he told me what I said, it was pertaining to us breaking each other's stones. … I didn't remember it. I was told it. I believed it and said, 'Yo, that ain't me.' That's when I called him right away and that's when he told me we were good.”

Over the weekend, Olympian Jordan Burroughs weighed in on the incident via Twitter.

Larry White, executive director of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, confirmed that those groups that assign high school wrestling referees in New Jersey “will not assign the referee in question until this matter has been thoroughly reviewed.”

“This will help to avoid disruption of events for student athletes,” he said.

White, speaking as an African-American and parent, said he clearly understands the issues at play, “and probably better than most. The NJSIAA takes this matter very seriously, and I ask that everyone respect the investigatory process related to all parties involved.”

The NJSIAA had earlier released a statement saying it has been in direct contact with school officials and was awaiting official incident reports. A report also has been requested from the referee involved.

In addition, the NJSIAA says it has provided initial information to the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights and will continue to send updates as they become available.

“Regulations regarding hair length and legal hair covers for wrestlers are provided by the National Federation of State High School Associations,” the statement read. “At this point, the NJSIAA is working to determine the exact nature of the incident and whether an infraction occurred.”

Complaints against officials are heard first by the officials' association and then can be appealed to the NJSIAA Controversies Committee.

YouTube video/photos

See related: See How NJ Ref With Alleged Racist Past Made Teen Cut Dreadlocks