Andrew Johnson, a wrestler at Buena High School had an important match against Oakcrest High School on Thursday, however, a referee almost made him forfeit his match because of his hair. Johnson, who sports dreads, usually puts a head covering on when he fights, but this time the ref wouldn't allow it and forced the young wrestler to cut his hair on the spot or risk losing the match and putting his team in trouble.
Johnson, who was competing in the 120-pound weight class, won his match in overtime, which helped propel his school to a big victory. According to South New Jersey News, the match was an important one since it could potentially affect the outcome of the race for a conference championship.
Footage of Johnson cutting his hair was posted to Twitter.
Shaun King, a writer for The Intercept took exception to the referee's ruling, stating that Alan Maloney, the ref in question actually has a racist past. According to the Courier Post, Maloney called another referee the N-word and was then wrestled to the ground over it.
King then added that he's spoken to other parents of high school wrestlers who confirmed that Maloney has been an issue in the past.