One of the nation's top high school wrestlers has been disqualified from the New Jersey state championships for his role in a brawl involving his father that took place in the stands at a recent event.
As reported by CBS News, St. John Vianney High School senior Anthony Knox Jr. was looking forward to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament with a chance to secure a historic fourth straight state championship before graduating and wrestling for Cornell University.
That all changed following an incident at the NJ District 25 tournament at Collingswood High School on Saturday, when Knox Jr. was reportedly involved in brawl in the stands.
"I saw a bunch of grown men yelling racial slurs at kids that I've been training since they were 6 years old, cursing at my son, cursing at my wife," his father, Anthony Knox Sr., said. "As a man, I walked over, walked up into the stands, and asked the guy to stop. At that point, I was assaulted. Never threw a punch. Never hurt anybody. Never ran up there like a bat out of hell, just throwing punches at people. None of that happened. I got pushed down the bleachers. I could have gotten seriously injured. Then I got surrounded by about 10 other families."
According to Steve Overmyer of CBS, "Competition gave way to chaos and Knox Jr. said he did what family does."
"The protection of my family is the No. 1 thing to me," the younger Knox said. "If I had a choice of protecting my family or never wrestling a match again, I would choose protecting my family every single time. I felt that my family's lives and wellbeing were at risk, and that's why I stepped in."
Of all those involved, only Anthony Jr. and his father were led away in handcuffs, Overmyer reported.
"My role is to uphold the integrity of high school athletics by ensuring that all participants adhere to the same rules and are held to the same standards of sportsmanship and safety," NJSIAA executive director Colleen Maguire stated in issuing Knox Jr.'s disqualification.
Knox Jr.'s attorney is filing an injunction that would allow him to compete until a proper hearing can be held.
When asked where the instigators were from, Knox's father said, "West Deptford," adding with his son's disqualification a wrestler from West Deptford High School could benefit, CBS reported.
St. John Vianney High School said in a statement it respects the decision of the NJSIAA after its investigation, adding it does not condone violence of any kind and last weekend's incident is not indicative of what the school or wrestling program stands for, per Overmyer's reporting.
