ESPN reporting on wrestling referee incident

[Greatdane67 172]

http://www.espn.com/high-school/story/_/id/25589162/new-jersey-high-school-wrestler-forced-cut-dreadlocks-viral-video-stirs-questions-race

This referee should be tarred and feathered. This is not the type of news our sport needs, even if it happened in a high school setting.

His previous incident precludes any benefit of the doubt he should get now.

Edited December 22, 2018 by Greatdane67
Grammar

[TobusRex 1,513]

He needs to be banned from reffing.

[Sheerstress 77]

Question:  in a situation like this, where a wrestler has hair extending below the neck, it IS within today's rules to use a hair covering (e.g. water polo cap) underneath the headgear, correct?

[BigTenFanboy 1,592]

13 minutes ago, Sheerstress said:

Question:  in a situation like this, where a wrestler has hair extending below the neck, it IS within today's rules to use a hair covering (e.g. water polo cap) underneath the headgear, correct?

Which he had but the ref would not allow him to wear.

[BigTenFanboy 1,592]

Would like to see the actual match as well. Read that Johnson won in OT. For a close match I'm curious how fairly this official officiated this match.

[justafan 123]

NJ high school reffing is a good ole boy network.Hopefully this will help start to clean things up and get rid of the old guard.

[BigTenFanboy 1,592]

17 minutes ago, justafan said:

NJ high school reffing is a good ole boy network.Hopefully this will help start to clean things up and get rid of the old guard.

Hopefully this will encourage more people to become officials to get rid of the bad ones.

[1032004 488]

41 minutes ago, Sheerstress said:

Question:  in a situation like this, where a wrestler has hair extending below the neck, it IS within today's rules to use a hair covering (e.g. water polo cap) underneath the headgear, correct?

 

Not correct.  A few years ago the rule changed to that the cover needed to be attached to the headgear.  My understanding is that was the issue here (he had a cover, just not the “proper” cover).  So as stated by Mr. Roberts in the article, the referee technically made the correct call.

What’s not known is when the ref first saw the cover.  Technically if you need to wear a cover you’re supposed to show it at weigh ins.

 

[1032004 488]

3 minutes ago, BigTenFanboy said:

Hopefully this will encourage more people to become officials to get rid of the bad ones.

 

More likely it will discourage them over fear of going viral.

[BigTenFanboy 1,592]

Just now, 1032004 said:

 

More likely it will discourage them over fear of going viral.

I agree. I was just giving commentary on the whole "get rid of the old guard." People often forget how few people actually want to be officials.

[wrestlingphish 587]

1 hour ago, Sheerstress said:

Question:  in a situation like this, where a wrestler has hair extending below the neck, it IS within today's rules to use a hair covering (e.g. water polo cap) underneath the headgear, correct?

The wrestlers hair did not extend below the neck.

[LCpl Schmuckatelli 33]

30 minutes ago, 1032004 said:

 

More likely it will discourage them over fear of going viral.

 

Solution: don’t be a douchebag.

 

 

[Housebuye 1,947]

36 minutes ago, 1032004 said:

 

More likely it will discourage them over fear of going viral.

 This is silly. How many ref incidents have gone viral? The one where a racist ref bullied a high school kid? Good. He should be fired and his name dragged through the mud. 

[BigTenFanboy 1,592]

1 minute ago, LCpl Schmuckatelli said:

 

Solution: don’t be a douchebag.

 

 

Agreed. Enforcing rules like this to the letter of the law is only asking for trouble. I can understand if the kid didnt have a hair cover at all, but the kid had one. He could have easily allowed the kid to use it this time and said "before you're next match get the new hair cover that attaches to the headgear."

[jeffrideal 100]

How did everyone stand by and just watch?    It was pretty gut wrenching, but even worse was his reaction when he won.  Sad that no one put a stop to it, including his coaches and trainers. 

[BigTenFanboy 1,592]

Just now, jeffrideal said:

How did everyone stand by and just watch?    It was pretty gut wrenching, but even worse was his reaction when he won.  Sad that no one put a stop to it, including his coaches and trainers. 

His coaches argued with the ref but the kid stepped up and said he would cut his hair to avoid forfeiting.

[1032004 488]

2 minutes ago, BigTenFanboy said:

Agreed. Enforcing rules like this to the letter of the law is only asking for trouble. I can understand if the kid didnt have a hair cover at all, but the kid had one. He could have easily allowed the kid to use it this time and said "before you're next match get the new hair cover that attaches to the headgear."

 

Funny you say that.  It appears that’s pretty much what happened - at his previous competition

 

http://www.philly.com/news/new-jersey/andrew-johnson-wrestler-cut-hair-rules-dreadlocks-alan-maloney-referee-buena-nj-20181221.html

[1032004 488]

13 minutes ago, LCpl Schmuckatelli said:

 

Solution: don’t be a douchebag.

 

 

 

For enforcing rules?  If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at the NFHS for making the rule.

[Billyhoyle 1,756]

I blame the coach. Rules about hair are nothing new.  How do you not have hair covers for your athletes?  With that said, this ref should not have been reinstated after using a racial slur-and he definitely shouldn't have been the one to enforce the rule given his history.  

Edited December 22, 2018 by Billyhoyle

[jeffrideal 100]

2 minutes ago, BigTenFanboy said:

His coaches argued with the ref but the kid stepped up and said he would cut his hair to avoid forfeiting.

Agree, but his coaches should have forfeited the whole dual in protest.  Again, I wasnt in the gym and cannot say how I would respond, so armchair comments from me.  But still, pretty demoralizing for this young man and his coaches could have done more. 

[BigTenFanboy 1,592]

7 minutes ago, jeffrideal said:

Agree, but his coaches should have forfeited the whole dual in protest.  Again, I wasnt in the gym and cannot say how I would respond, so armchair comments from me.  But still, pretty demoralizing for this young man and his coaches could have done more. 

If you think that way then It's a lose lose for the coach. 

Argues with the ref on the kids behalf and the kid says he will cut his hair. Coach's fault the kid got his hair cut.

Argues with the ref on the kids behalf then decides to forfeit the match in order to save the kid from being demoralized. The kid gets a dq loss, his team loses the match and his teammates after him dont grt to wrestle. and again it's the coach's fault.

Either way the kid ends up feeling like crap. Ref should have just let the kid use his hair cover that doesnt attach to the headgear.

Edited December 22, 2018 by BigTenFanboy

[BigTenFanboy 1,592]

During weighing the ref is supposed to do a hair, nails, and skin check. Hes supposed to check for special equipment as well before the kid ever steps of the scale.

[ironmonkey 123]

Props to the kid for keeping focus and winning!  Seems to be an afterthought but should be highlighted.  

 

Refs using racial slurs at social gatherings with other officials shouldn't be allowed to continue to officiate if there is sufficient evidence of the usage.  

 

Past incidents shouldn't be used as evidence of latent motivations that can't be proven.  The rules are the rules and the ref evidently was just enforcing them which is his job.  Any other narrative isn't very objective.  Unfortunately most news sources are running with narratives that ignore investigating the equipment issue that led to the hair cutting altogether.

 

It is sad that a kid is in the middle of a story blowing up on Twitter where thousands of "adults" will argue endlessly.  I imagine that would be super confusing at that age and impossible to ignore.  I hope his coaches find a way to reframe all this into a positive growing experience for him.   

 

 

 

 

 

[Sheerstress 77]

2 hours ago, BigTenFanboy said:

During weighing the ref is supposed to do a hair, nails, and skin check. Hes supposed to check for special equipment as well before the kid ever steps of the scale.

That's something that is recommended, and something that should be done, but something that's not actually required.  The official(s) do it as a courtesy to the wrestlers and their teams to make sure everything is legal and proper, primarily to avoid situations like this one.  

[gowrestle 602]

Penn State’s Shakur Rasheed cut his hair this year.