THE NEWS ATLANTIC COUNTY, N.J. — Suspended high school wrestling referee Alan Maloney filed a civil lawsuit against the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) in Atlantic County Superior Court on Dec. 18, 2020. Buena Regional High School head wrestling coach George Maxwell and athletic director David Albertson were named as defendants in the lawsuit along with former NJSIAA executive director Larry White and NJSIAA assistant director Anthony Maselli. Vincent Smith and Mary Liz Ivins, president and vice president, respectively, of an NJSIAA task force, and David Frasier, NJSIAA Controversies Committee chair, were also named in the suit. The lawsuit surrounds a Dec. 19, 2018, dual meet between Buena and Oakcrest high schools at which Buena wrestler Andrew Johnson had his hair cut after being told his hair covering was illegal. According to NFHS wrestling rules in 201819, hair coverings were required to be attached to the wrestler’s head gear — a rule change made in 2014. Maloney ruled that Johnson “had braids or twists that pursuant to the published and known rules required a legal hair cover,” according to an amended complaint filed on Dec. 30, 2020. The dispute surrounds whether Johnson was required to wear a hair covering and whether his hair was
in its “natural state.” If not in its natural state, the rules at the time required a hair covering. Video of an athletic trainer cutting Johnson’s hair went viral on Twitter “being manipulated and misconstrued as a national race issue,” according to the complaint. For the following season, the NFHS deleted rules regarding the “natural state” and length of a wrestler’s hair. Fallout from the controversy led the NJSIAA to suspend Maloney and he contends the suspension ended up “… fueling the erroneous reports in the media that the plaintiff was racially motivated by his rules enforcement …” Maloney claims the NJSIAA violated its own handbook when he was not given the opportunity to present his case at “any due process hearing or trial,” according to the complaint. According to a Memorandum of Agreement between the NJSIAA and New Jersey Division on Civil Rights signed by White and Rachel Wainer Apter, the division’s director, the NJSIAA agreed in September 2019 to suspend Maloney for the entirety of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons and require him to undergo implicit bias training and additional rules education before any future reinstatement. The agreement also requires all high school sports
NFL Hires First Black Female Official NEW YORK — Maia Chaka, a product of the NFL’s Officiating Development Program, has been hired to the NFL officiating staff, the league announced March 5. Chaka is the first Black woman official named to the staff. “I am honored to be selected as an NFL official,” Chaka said in a news release. “But this moment is bigger than a personal accomplishment. It is an accomplishment for all women, my community, and my culture.” Chaka, 38, is the second woman to be hired as an onfield official. Sarah Thomas joined the staff in 2015. Four females — Desiree Abrams, Sebrina Brunson, Artenzia Young-Seigler and Denise Crudup — are replay assistants. Replay official Terri Valenti recently announced her retirement. Appearing on the “Today” show, Chaka said she received a phone call March 1 from Wayne Mackie, the NFL vice president of officiating evaluation and development. Since Mackie has been a mentor to
See “Suspension” p.11
See “Chaka” p.10
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N.J. Wrestling Referee Sues Over Suspension
THE WIRE Referee Seeks Assault Charges After Push
A 44-year-old Nebraska referee filed a police report alleging assault after a high school student shoved him in the back during a game and sent him into a sideline chair, leaving him with a sore neck and abrasions to his right knee and elbow. The incident occurred during a JV game at Northwest High School in Omaha, Neb., on Feb. 13. Video of the incident showed
the player had a path past the referee, but ran into him instead. The referee was not named in news reports and the player was not identified because he is a juvenile. The police report was referred to juvenile court.
Premier League Referee Received Death Threats
Premier League referee Mike Dean received death threats after his decision to send off West Ham’s Tomas Soucek, for
what Dean ruled was an elbow deliberately thrown at another player during a Feb. 6 match against Fulham. Dean initially waved play on, but consulted a pitchside monitor at the urging of his video assistant referee and then issued a red card. Dean received online threats to himself and his family in the wake of the call. Days later, West Ham appealed the red card and Premier League officials overturned the call, ruling it was
accidental contact and that Soucek would not have to serve a three-game suspension. In the wake of the threats, Dean opted not to officiate any games the following weekend, but returned to officiate a match on Feb. 14.
Referee Suspended for Assaulting Crewmate
The Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) suspended referee Tevin Gibson following a postgame locker-
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