NJSIAA Executive Director Colleen Maguire released a statement Tuesday, Feb. 25 saying the top-seeded 126-pound Saint John Vianney grappler was disqualified as the result of an investigation into the Saturday, Feb. 22 incident at Collingswood High School
"I have determined that the disqualified student-athlete violated both the Association’s sportsmanship policy and its disqualification rule for leaving the bench area during an altercation," Maguire said.
The grappler's role in the chaos wasn't immediately clear. NJSIAA rule (page 4) states: Any player that leaves the bench area during an altercation, regardless of whether the player engages in the altercation, shall be disqualified, and will be subject to the disqualification penalty (automatically disqualified from the next two contests, except football which is one game.) Only coaches can leave the bench with the purpose of restraining players and/or stopping altercations.
The Region 7 tournament bracket for the 126-pound weight class, of which Knox is the top seed, will be reseeded accordingly.
“I did not make this decision lightly," Maguire continued. "I am fully aware of the consequences to the student-athlete. He is a senior and this disqualification effectively ends his high school career. However, 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.
“Let it be clear, the Association cannot, and will not, condone actions that violate its sportsmanship policy or its member school approved rules.”
As previously reported by Daily Voice, Knox's father, Anthony Knox, was captured on video being escorted out of the gymnasium during the Collingswood High School brawl.
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