Wrestling Ref Who Forced Student To Cut Dreadlocks Is Suing For Defamation

Back in December, high school wrestling referee Alan Maloney made waves in the worst way possible as he asked Buena High School wrestler Andrew Johnson to cut off his dreads, or he’d have to forfeit his match. The clip of Johnson shaving his dreads in the gym ended up going viral and outrage ultimately ensued. People started to do some digging on Maloney and actually found out that he had a pretty racist past. According to TMZ Sports, Maloney hasn’t officiated a single wrestling tournament since and now, the disgraced ref is suing the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association for defamation.

The lawsuit is reportedly worth upwards of $100,000 as Maloney feels as though his name has been dragged through the mud. In his letter to the NJSIAA, Maloney says that Johnson’s hair was too long as stipulated in the rules laid out by their own organization. He believes he gave Johnson a fair amount of time to either wear a head covering or get his hair cut and that in the end, he was just following protocol.

Despite being told to shave off his dreads, Johnson overcame adversity and ended up helping his team to win the tournament. Thanks to his victories out on the mat, the school ended up qualifying for the regional championships.