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WATCH: HS wrestler forced to cut dreadlocks before match, or risk forfeiture

The match referee in question has dealt with controversy in previous years of high school officiating.
Credit: Screenshot

The New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association has opened an investigation into a controversial incident from earlier in the week, when a New Jersey wrestler was obligated to cut his dreadlocks before a high school match (120-pound division) … or risk forfeiting the event.

Before his match against Oakcrest High, Buena (N.J.) Regional High wrestler Andrew Johnson was confronted by referee Alan Maloney about the state of Johnson’s dreadlocks; and according to USA TODAY Sports, Johnson deliberated for a moment, before having someone remove the dreadlocks with one high cut.

Johnson ended up victorious for the night; but the triumph was quickly overshadowed by the apparent harshness of Maloney’s pre-match ultimatum.

And predictably, the NJSAA was forced to act in short time, after word of the Johnson-Maloney dispute had gone public.

UPDATE: Maloney has been sidelined from officiating future wrestling matches, until this sensitive matter reaches a conclusion.

Here's a clip of the pre-match controversy:

According to USA TODAY Sports, the NJSAA 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."

The New Jersey Division on Civil Rights (DCR) might also get involved with the matter.

"DCR generally becomes involved only if the matter is not properly investigated or remedied by that initial investigation," the New Jersey state Attorney General's Office said in a statement. "DCR was notified this afternoon of an incident involving an NJSIAA official and a wrestler from Buena Regional High School. Because the incident involved an NJSIAA official, DCR has opened an investigation.”

The video of the Johnson-Maloney dispute went viral days later, with a number of polarizing opinions on the matter. There may also be some racial overtones at play here, with Johnson being black and Maloney being white.

Within that context, in the past, Maloney had reportedly been accused of using a racial epithet during a match.

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