Peter Ackerman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
All signs pointed to three-time New Jersey wrestling champion Anthony Knox getting the chance to cap off his career by competing for a fourth title. However, things took a turn when he was suspended over a post-match brawl involving his father that has now led to a lawsuit pushing for his reinstatement.
I’m going to assume most people reading this are not diehard fans of high school wrestling in the state of New Jersey (or any state for that matter). As a result, you can be forgiven for not being intimately familiar with the career of Anthony Knox, a student at St. John Vianney High School in the town of Holmdel.
Knox has been a force to be reckoned with since kicking off his high school career, as the senior who is set to continue wrestling at Cornell after he graduates headed into his final year with three titles under his belt and was widely considered the favorite to win a fourth.
The juggernaut with a 140-1 record got off to a good start in his quest for a four-peat by winning his match in the first round of the Region 7 NJSIAA Boys Individual Wrestling State Tournament that was held at Collingswood High School last Saturday, and he was set to compete yet again in the 126-pound category this week.
However, those plans were derailed when a brawl broke out in the stands in the wake of the 190-pound final involving his dad Anthony Knox Sr., and videos filmed by various spectators captured his son running over to the bleachers after seeing the melee break out.
Will top in the nation #AnthonyKnox be dq’d and unable to compete for his 4th New Jersey HS wrestling title? His fate lies in the #NJSIAA #njwrestling body’s hands. Here is a breakdown of the brawl at #district25 & why suspension is likely. Ending his storied HS career. pic.twitter.com/U6EtkKHcGM
— Cognitive Dissonant (@Shenani13325313) February 25, 2025
The NJSIAA subsequently announced Knox had been suspended for the remainder of the tournament (which effectively ended his high school career), with Executive Director Colleen Maguire releasing a statement saying he’d “violated both the association’s sportsmanship policy and its disqualification rule for leaving the bench area during an altercation.”
According to NJ.com, an attorney representing the wrestler has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to overturn the suspension, alleging the ban was a violation of his constitutional right to due process and asserting “the chaos was caused by unruly parents and spectators that had no connection to Mr. Knox.”
The wrestler’s dad said the incident was sparked by rival parents who were swearing at his wife and yelling racial slurs at his son’s teammates. Knox explained why he made his way to the area where the fight broke out without getting directly involved, saying “I saw my family being surrounded, and I’ve always lived by the motto that family is over everything.”
The hearing is scheduled for Thursday morning, and Knox could potentially get a restraining order that allows him to compete in the next round on Friday.
UPDATE: Knox received the temporary restraining order he was seeking and will be able to continue his run for the time being.