A referee with an alleged history of making racist remarks, forced a black wrestler to cut his dreadlocks before a match in New Jersey on Thursday night, according to SNJ Today News.
The wrestler, Andrew Johnson, chose to cut his hair rather than be forced to forfeit the match.
According to NJ.com:
The referee, who is clearly visible in the video, has been identified in various social media posts and by NJ Advance Media staff writers as Alan Maloney, who used a racial slur at a social gathering of officials in March 2016.
Maloney, who is white, used the slur in an argument over homemade wine in a Jersey Shore condo after many of the officials gathered following a youth tournament in Wildwood. Another official, Preston Hamilton, who is black, then slammed Maloney to the ground over the remark.
Video of Thursday’s incident, posted to Twitter by Mike Frankel of SNJ Today News, sparked outrage on social media and calls for Maloney to be punished. Many critics wondered why Johnson was told he had to cut his hair, rather than compete with a wrap over his head, like many other wrestlers with long hair.
Phone messages left Friday for Buena athletic director David Albertson and Buena wrestling coach George Maxwell were not immediately returned. Bill Bruno, the assistant director from the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association who oversees wrestling, also did not immediately return a phone message Friday.
Further complicating the issue, New Jersey recognizes girls wrestling as an official varsity sport. With many of the girls who participate having long hair, it casts further doubt on Maloney’s reasoning for making Johnson cut his hair.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn