December 19th is when it all came to a head….so to speak. A nasty and disturbing video made its rounds around the internet making everyone’s blood boil at the same temperature. Wrestling student Andrew Johnson was embarrassed immensely when a referee forced the 16 year old to cut his hair. If he would have refused, the match would have been a loss.
No one understood this decision, because all of the wrestlers wore caps that covered the players’ hair. Things became pretty clear when it was documented back in 2016 that the referee had used the “n” word.
Since the video of Andrew’s hair being cut has gone viral, The Buena Regional Board Of Education decided it was best to call an emergency meeting on Wednesday. They will be moving forward with these plans.
CNN
The Buena Regional Board of Education held an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss the December 19 wrestling match where Andrew Johnson, 16, had to choose between cutting his hair or forfeiting his match. Video of a trainer cutting his hair in the middle of the gym went viral over the weekend, sparking outrage and accusations of racial bias.
The wrestler won the match in sudden victory in overtime.
“We have viewed the video footage that has gone viral and are deeply troubled by the embarrassment and humiliation our young student athlete endured,” said David C. Cappuccio Jr., superintendent of the Buena Regional School District. “District administration has been working diligently around the clock for the past several days collecting as much info as possible about the sequence of events occurring this past December 19.”
Cappuccio said he informed the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) that “the school district and its athletic teams will not compete in any contest officiated by this referee from this point forward.”
He also said the referee in question “is not an employee of our district,” so the board therefore “has no control as to the extent to which he will be able to continue to work as a wrestling official.”
The referee did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment Tuesday afternoon.
Dominic A. Speziali, an attorney for Andrew’s family, said during the meeting that Andrew and his family are supportive of the coaching staff and the trainer who cut his hair.
“The blame here is on the referee,” Speziali said. “It’s still not clear to me why that had to happen, in that manner, to Andrew.”
Speziali asked the board not to scapegoat any individuals, either, even though there were administrators who were silent during the incident.
Andrew will not be attending the Buena Regional High School wrestling team’s scheduled matched scheduled for Thursday, Speziali said in a statement. It is not known at this time why Andrew will not be attending the match.”
Andrew AND his parents should all be angry at the school system, the trainers, and every adult in that gymnasium who wasn’t outraged at this catastrophe.
Of course the referee should be the person blamed for starting all of this, but the lady cutting his hair and the other trainers should have stood their ground. And in all honestly, the parents should be checked for not saying anything while their son’s hair was getting chopped too. I don’t have confirmation on whether or not they were in attendance though.
The bottom line is this….. a child was hurt and embarrassed in front of a bunch of adults who were suppose to protect him at all times. This didn’t happen, so somebody’s gonna have to pay the price.
The parents of Andrew are discussing (with their lawyer) what steps they should take next to ensure this will never happen to their child or any other student again. I’ll keep you posted as more information become available. But for now, you guys are officially in the know.
Someone should have took the scissors and cut a trail through the coaches scalp.