Hours after Anthony Knox was granted a temporary restraining order from his postseason disqualification — and allowed to wrestle in the Region 7 Tournament Friday night — the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association appealed the stunning ruling.
The appeal, filed by Robert Levy, the attorney representing the state’s governing body for high school sports, is a ‘request for stay pending appeal.’
In the filing, Levy argues “A stay is warranted to prevent irreparable harm,” and that Friday’s decision “adversely prevents the NJSIAA from conducting its tournament pursuant to NJSIAA’s rules and procedures.”
The purpose of filing the request for a stay with Bartels' court is to open a path for the NJSIAA to officially have the case heard at the appellate level.
Levy argues that Bartels’ ruling was based on “at least three fundamental misunderstandings,” of the association’s rules.
In its filing, the NJSIAA argued that Bartels' ruling incorrectly stated that:
- State association rules can only be amended by a full membership vote.
- The rule that allows the Executive Director to issue disqualifications for violating their sportsmanship policy is only a proposed rule. That rule is already in place and passed two readings from the NJSIAA’s Executive Committee in.
- Knox was not notified of the investigation and potential disqualification.
The filing argues that according to the NJSIAA’s Bylaws, its Executive Committee may, in fact, vote to enact bylaws by a 2/3 majority vote.
It also made note that NJSIAA council responded to Knox’s attorney at the time, John Grey, ‘just over an hour’ after it heard from Grey on Sunday night, indicating a decision on the DQ was forthcoming. The filing indicated Grey provided both evidence and legal argument on behalf of Knox and that NJSIAA Executive Director Colleen Maguire considered it prior to ruling.
Knox was disqualified on Tuesday for the rest of the postseason by the NJSIAA because of his involvement in a brawl at District 25 in Collingswood on Saturday. Knox and his father, Anthony Sr., can be seen on video separately leaving school property in handcuffs and being led into patrol cars by police.
But Knox challenged the disqualification, with his attorney, Patrick Jennings, arguing that the NJSIAA did not allow for Due Process and that Colleen Maguire, the NJSIAA director, completed an investigation without allowing Knox to defend himself.
In the ruling, which was leveled just hours before the region tournament began on Friday, Bartels said, “Given the prominent role high school athletics play in society, this Court acknowledges irreparable harm to someone at the pinnacle of his high school career.”
Jennings, who has faced the NJSIAA in a number of legal battles, celebrated the win, saying, “From head to toe, NJSIAA’s decision was wrong.”
But the ruling, the NJSIAA says, sets an ugly precedent that “all unsportsmanlike behavior can be excused using the sword of an Order to Show Cause” — and would, in effect, make it impossible for the NJSIAA and the state’s Chancery Court system to manage hearing, on average, the more than 450 disqualifications issued each year by the NJSIAA.
Friday’s ruling by judge Bartels cleared the path for Knox to wrestle in the Region 7 tournament tonight — and Knox took care of business is his only match in Lacey, winning his opening match, 18-1, by technical fall in 2:32.
Knox advances to tomorrow’s semifinal round, where he is widely expected to advance and qualify for next week’s State Championships in Atlantic City.
With this filing by the NJSIAA, it seems the focus is now on what happens next week, at Boardwalk Hall.
“If the stay is not granted, this wrestling tournament, as it progresses to the state finals, will operate in violation of NJSIAA rules and procedures,” the appeal says.
Here is the appeal, in full:
Brian Deakyne may be reached at bdeakyne@njadvancemedia.com.
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