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The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association has stripped the state championship and Region 7 wrestling championship won by St. John Vianney senior Anthony Knox Jr. in March 2025 in Atlantic City.
At a meeting of the NJSIAA controversies committee held on May 26, the panel voted 8-0 to revoke Knox of his championships, saying he violated the NJSIAA’s sportsmanship policy and bench rule when he participated in an altercation in the stands at the District 25 championships at Collingswood High School.
The decision of the committee became public July 27 when documents from Mercer County Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Bartels became available. There is a conference scheduled between both sides scheduled for July 29.
“We do not come to this conclusion lightly and understand some may disagree with our revocation of the title won by Knox. However, interscholastic sports are designed to do much more than support student athletic achievement,” read the judgment of the committee at the end of a lengthy document.
“High school athletics is just as much about fostering teamwork, leadership, and resilience as it is about winning titles given that these lessons will extend beyond the sports field into each students’ academic and personal life. Athletics teach sportsmanship, cooperation and respect for others. Knox did not demonstrate these qualities. To maintain consistency and punishment and the integrity of our sports program, we find that Knox’s actions require disqualification and forfeiture under NJSIAA rules.”
Knox was not present at the hearing, nor did he have legal representative there on his behalf. The NJSIAA had documented proof that Knox was served an affidavit informing him of the hearing on May 14 at 2:10 p.m.
NJSIAA rules allow for the hearing to take place even if the charged party is not in attendance.
On the mat, Knox, now at Rutgers, won the 126-pound state title with an 18-4 victory Nathan Braun of Bergen Catholic, becoming just the fifth four-time state champion in New Jersey history.
Knox’s journey to the top of the podium was clouded by an incident in the district championship when he was charged with simple assault. Days later, Knox was suspended from competing in the region tournament by NJSIAA executive director Colleen Maguire, but won an appeal based on the grounds that he didn’t receive sufficient due process. In that time, Knox was allowed to compete.
NJSIAA attorney Robert E. Levy of Scarinci and Hollenbeck in Little Falls said that multiple attempts were made to depose Knox through his attorney Patrick J. Jennings. According to the letter, Jennings did not answer questions about when Knox could be deposed, and the last time Jennings communicated with him was May 19, saying that Knox was not available and did not provide any available dates.
Jennings is on vacation and will be appearing in front of Bartels on July 29.
Details of the controversies committee hearing had been kept under wraps until now.
The hearing heard from three witnesses: Sgt. Kenneth Jacoby of the Collingswood Police Department, who was one of two police officers on site, Maguire and Colleen Harte, the athletic director of Collingswood High School and the site manager for the District 25 tournament.
The NJSIAA cited the sportsmanship policy, which says that unsportsmanlike conduct will include any person, including a student-athlete, who strikes or physically abuses an official, opposing coach or spectator. Another policy – well-known in New Jersey high school sports – is that anyone leaving the bench area will be disqualified for the next two games. In this case, the next event for Knox would have been the region tournament.
Jacoby told the committee what he saw, that “as soon as the 190 pound match concluded, there was almost instantly an eruption of noise coming from the stands designated for West Deptford High School. ... I saw a subject running into the stands, at which time I pursued him into the stands.”
He identified the individual as Knox and witnessed him “go after a juvenile who we were able to later identify from a different school, and at the time he began to assault that juvenile from that other school” and that he was less than five feet from Knox during the altercation. Jacoby also said that Knox was not near either his father or mother during the incident, an allegation that the controversies committee said was supported by video evidence.
Maguire said during her testimony that the penalty for violating this rule was an automatic DQ.
“He would have been disqualified from competing the next weekend in our region tournament," she said. "That then would prohibit him from advancing to the individual state championships the following week.”
Maguire also addressed the idea that Knox was not actually on a ‘bench,’ saying that the rule is worded to be broad to apply to different situations.
Harte was the last figure to testify. She went over the layout of the gymnasium for the event, saying that spots were marked off in the stands for specific schools' fans. She said personally saw Knox “run up into the stands from the mat.”
When asked about the claims that the environment wasn’t safe, Harte said that there were four other security guards on site. She said that her staff had joked that the event had been quiet “because having St. John Vianney, we knew they were going to win most of the matches… it was pretty smooth.”
The controversies committee found that Knox violated the sportsmanship rule and the bench rule and made its decision after 40 minutes of deliberation. Article X of NJSIAA by-laws say that the controversies committee can impose penalties including the forfeiture of championship rights.
“Evidence also indicates that Knox struck a minor in the stands who was not involved in the altercation involving Knox Sr. The Controversies Committee found that Knox violated the Sportsmanship Rule. Violation of the Sportsmanship Rule carries a penalty of automatic disqualification from the next two matches. NJSIAA rules allow a player to be disqualified before, during or after a game based on witness and video evidence. The Controversies Committee applies the automatic disqualification of the next two matches to the violation of the Sportsmanship Rule and determines that Knox was ineligible to compete at the Regional Tournament and the State Championship.”
The members of the controversies committee were:
David Frazier, Chairperson, athletic director of Rutherford High School
Ron Peterson, principal of Voorhees High School
Mark Daniels, Supt. of East Windsor School District
Tom Mullahey, athletic director of Clifton High School
Jen Fleury, athletic director of Villa Walsh Academy
Jeffrey Steele, athletic director of Bound Brook High School
Oscar Guerrero, principal of West Orange High School
Tom Gambino, athletic director of Immaculata High School
Dr. Michael Rossi, Supt. of Lenape Regional School District
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJSIAA strips Anthony Knox of title, full details from hearing | Exclusive
Continue reading...
At a meeting of the NJSIAA controversies committee held on May 26, the panel voted 8-0 to revoke Knox of his championships, saying he violated the NJSIAA’s sportsmanship policy and bench rule when he participated in an altercation in the stands at the District 25 championships at Collingswood High School.
The decision of the committee became public July 27 when documents from Mercer County Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Bartels became available. There is a conference scheduled between both sides scheduled for July 29.
“We do not come to this conclusion lightly and understand some may disagree with our revocation of the title won by Knox. However, interscholastic sports are designed to do much more than support student athletic achievement,” read the judgment of the committee at the end of a lengthy document.
“High school athletics is just as much about fostering teamwork, leadership, and resilience as it is about winning titles given that these lessons will extend beyond the sports field into each students’ academic and personal life. Athletics teach sportsmanship, cooperation and respect for others. Knox did not demonstrate these qualities. To maintain consistency and punishment and the integrity of our sports program, we find that Knox’s actions require disqualification and forfeiture under NJSIAA rules.”
Knox was not present at the hearing, nor did he have legal representative there on his behalf. The NJSIAA had documented proof that Knox was served an affidavit informing him of the hearing on May 14 at 2:10 p.m.
NJSIAA rules allow for the hearing to take place even if the charged party is not in attendance.
On the mat, Knox, now at Rutgers, won the 126-pound state title with an 18-4 victory Nathan Braun of Bergen Catholic, becoming just the fifth four-time state champion in New Jersey history.
Knox’s journey to the top of the podium was clouded by an incident in the district championship when he was charged with simple assault. Days later, Knox was suspended from competing in the region tournament by NJSIAA executive director Colleen Maguire, but won an appeal based on the grounds that he didn’t receive sufficient due process. In that time, Knox was allowed to compete.
NJSIAA attorney Robert E. Levy of Scarinci and Hollenbeck in Little Falls said that multiple attempts were made to depose Knox through his attorney Patrick J. Jennings. According to the letter, Jennings did not answer questions about when Knox could be deposed, and the last time Jennings communicated with him was May 19, saying that Knox was not available and did not provide any available dates.
Jennings is on vacation and will be appearing in front of Bartels on July 29.
Details of the controversies committee hearing had been kept under wraps until now.
The hearing heard from three witnesses: Sgt. Kenneth Jacoby of the Collingswood Police Department, who was one of two police officers on site, Maguire and Colleen Harte, the athletic director of Collingswood High School and the site manager for the District 25 tournament.
The NJSIAA cited the sportsmanship policy, which says that unsportsmanlike conduct will include any person, including a student-athlete, who strikes or physically abuses an official, opposing coach or spectator. Another policy – well-known in New Jersey high school sports – is that anyone leaving the bench area will be disqualified for the next two games. In this case, the next event for Knox would have been the region tournament.
Jacoby told the committee what he saw, that “as soon as the 190 pound match concluded, there was almost instantly an eruption of noise coming from the stands designated for West Deptford High School. ... I saw a subject running into the stands, at which time I pursued him into the stands.”
He identified the individual as Knox and witnessed him “go after a juvenile who we were able to later identify from a different school, and at the time he began to assault that juvenile from that other school” and that he was less than five feet from Knox during the altercation. Jacoby also said that Knox was not near either his father or mother during the incident, an allegation that the controversies committee said was supported by video evidence.
Maguire said during her testimony that the penalty for violating this rule was an automatic DQ.
“He would have been disqualified from competing the next weekend in our region tournament," she said. "That then would prohibit him from advancing to the individual state championships the following week.”
Maguire also addressed the idea that Knox was not actually on a ‘bench,’ saying that the rule is worded to be broad to apply to different situations.
Harte was the last figure to testify. She went over the layout of the gymnasium for the event, saying that spots were marked off in the stands for specific schools' fans. She said personally saw Knox “run up into the stands from the mat.”
When asked about the claims that the environment wasn’t safe, Harte said that there were four other security guards on site. She said that her staff had joked that the event had been quiet “because having St. John Vianney, we knew they were going to win most of the matches… it was pretty smooth.”
The controversies committee found that Knox violated the sportsmanship rule and the bench rule and made its decision after 40 minutes of deliberation. Article X of NJSIAA by-laws say that the controversies committee can impose penalties including the forfeiture of championship rights.
“Evidence also indicates that Knox struck a minor in the stands who was not involved in the altercation involving Knox Sr. The Controversies Committee found that Knox violated the Sportsmanship Rule. Violation of the Sportsmanship Rule carries a penalty of automatic disqualification from the next two matches. NJSIAA rules allow a player to be disqualified before, during or after a game based on witness and video evidence. The Controversies Committee applies the automatic disqualification of the next two matches to the violation of the Sportsmanship Rule and determines that Knox was ineligible to compete at the Regional Tournament and the State Championship.”
The members of the controversies committee were:
David Frazier, Chairperson, athletic director of Rutherford High School
Ron Peterson, principal of Voorhees High School
Mark Daniels, Supt. of East Windsor School District
Tom Mullahey, athletic director of Clifton High School
Jen Fleury, athletic director of Villa Walsh Academy
Jeffrey Steele, athletic director of Bound Brook High School
Oscar Guerrero, principal of West Orange High School
Tom Gambino, athletic director of Immaculata High School
Dr. Michael Rossi, Supt. of Lenape Regional School District
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJSIAA strips Anthony Knox of title, full details from hearing | Exclusive
Continue reading...
