High school wrestler Andrew Johnson has been all over the news after a video of him being forced to cut his dreadlocks at a match last month went viral.
Johnson, a junior at Buena Regional High School in New Jersey, was at a competition with his team when he was forced to make the decision to either forfeit the match or cut his dreadlocks.
When the video of the story came out people across the country were outraged and accused the referee of being racially biased.
Johnson was told that his hair and headgear were non-compliant with the league regulations. He then chose to cut his hair instead of having to forfeit the match.
Many are asking why the athlete wasn’t told about his hair before. Before each match any competitor who is competing is checked by the referee. Skin checks are conducted before weigh-ins to make sure that each competitor is compliant with the regulations. Skin checks were conducted at the match but were not done by the referee. The referee was late to the competition so he did not conduct his checks on the competitor until the match.
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, the rule book states: “The referee shall inspect contestants for improper grooming before the meet begins.” If the referee would have been compliant with this rule he would have told the wrestler earlier in the day that he either had to cover his hair or cut it.
The rule on hair length states: “The hair, in its natural state, shall not extend below the top of an ordinary shirt collar in the back; and on the sides, the hair shall not extend below earlobe level; in the front, the hair shall not extend below the eyebrows.” Although the athlete’s hair was not compliant with the rules, he should have been given the option to cover his hair instead of just having to cut it.
NCC Wrestling Head Coach Joseph Norton said, “It sounds to me like a bunch of people weren’t really clear on the rules whether it was the ref or maybe even his coaches not willing to put their foot down on the ruling. It’s probably a good teaching point for people in my position and officials.”
Referees, coaches and athletes should be familiar with the rules before any competition. Being familiar with the rules would stop a situation from escalating the way it did. Referees should be compliant to all the rules and coaches should know them as well so that they are able to challenge them and speak up for their athletes.
