New Jersey referee who ordered wrestler to cut dreadlocks suspended for 2 years
September 19, 2019

 



A New Jersey high school referee was handed a two-year suspension on Wednesday after he forced a teenaged wrestler to cut off his dreadlocks moments before a match to avoid forfeiting it.

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) launched an investigation into the incident in conjunction with the state's Division on Civil Liberties (DCR) after a video of 16-year-old Buena Regional High School wrestler, Andrew Johnson, went viral on social media. Johnson, who is of mixed race, was on the mat and in uniform before a match on Dec. 19, 2018 when he was ordered by a white referee, Alan Maloney, to have his dreadlocks cut off or be barred from competing in the wrestling tournament.





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