Anthony Knox Jr. cleared another legal hurdle on Wednesday as a judge denied a motion by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association and cleared the way for the St. John Vianney wrestler to compete for his fourth state championship.
The NJSIAA had filed a motion to remove the temporary restraining order that a judge placed on its suspension of Knox Jr. for his alleged involvement in a Feb. 22 brawl that took place during the NJSIAA District 25 Wrestling Tournament at Collingswood High School.
Mercer County Superior Court Judge Patrick Bartels denied the NJSIAA’s motion on Wednesday night setting the stage for Knox Jr. to compete in the state wrestling championships that begin on Thursday in Atlantic City.
“For the second time in less than one week, the trial court entertained this matter on an expedited basis,” Knox Jr.’s attorney Patrick J. Jennings said in a statement provided to The Post. “Once again, we commend the court’s painstaking consideration of all of the legal arguments and factual circumstances and applaud the court’s decision to restrain NJSIAA from destroying this young man.”
Oral arguments had been made on Tuesday afternoon regarding the NJSIAA’s motion.
In a statement released by the NJSIAA on Wednesday night, the organization said it was “disappointed” by the outcome.
“We stand by our commitment to enforcing clear and consistent sportsmanship rules that apply to all student-athletes,” the NJSIAA said. “We are disappointed with the trial court’s decision allowing Anthony Knox to compete and have asked the appeals court to intervene. We will certainly comply with the temporary restraining order unless the appellate courts rule otherwise.”
An emergency appeal to the appellate court was denied Wednesday night as well, with the court citing that the application “does not concern a threat of irreparable injury, or a situation in which the interests of justice otherwise require adjudication on short notice.”
It’s Knox’s second 11th-hour victory in court after a Mercer County Superior Court Judge put a temporary restraining order on the NJSIAA’s suspension that would have seen the wrestler barred from the rest of the state tournament and effectively end his high school career.
Knox Jr. is looking to become just the fifth wrestler in New Jersey high school history to win four state championships and enters the tournament in Atlantic City with a 143-1 record.
He is the No. 1 seed for the 126-pound division of the tournament after winning the Region 7 title on Saturday.
The controversy surrounding Knox Jr. has become one of the biggest stories in New Jersey high school sports and stemmed from a brawl that has led to Knox Jr. being charged with simple assault-purposely/knowingly causing bodily injury for his role in the incident.
Knox Jr. had left the bench area and entered the crowd after his dad, Anthony Knox Sr. had gone to confront opposing fans.
Video from the day showed a chaotic scene and both Knox son and father were led away in handcuffs by police.
In a complaint filed by the Collingswood Police, it alleged that Knox Jr. “proceeded to punch [redacted] about the face and head repeatedly, which resulted in bruising and pain to the right temple area.”
Knox Jr. had been originally suspended for the rest of the season by NJSIAA executive director Collen Maguire after she ruled that the wrestler had violated the “sportsmanship policy and its disqualification rule for leaving the bench area during an altercation.”
Jennings had been able to successfully argue that the NJSIAA had violated Knox Jr.’s right to due process over their investigation into the Feb. 22 incident and that Maguire had overstepped by unilaterally suspending him.
Maguire and the NJSIAA have received support from the NJSIAA Executive Committee Officers and New Jersey State Senator Paul Sarlo, both of which released statements on Tuesday.
“I do not believe that the NJSIAA’s disciplinary actions should be overturned. It sets a bad precedent for scholastic sports and a bad example for young athletes,” Sarlo said as part of his statement.
