Controversial New Jersey wrestler Anthony Knox Jr. had his state championship and Region 7 wrestling championship he won in 2025 taken away by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association recently, new court documents revealed Monday.
The NJSIAA controversies committee voted in an 8-0 decision May 26 to strip him of his titles over violations of the NJSIAA’s sportsmanship policy and bench rule related to a February 2025 brawl at the N.J. District 25 Wrestling Tournament at Collingswood High School, which also involved his father, Anthony Knox Sr.
The fallout from the incident made headlines, and Knox fought an initial NJSIAA ruling to disqualify him from the tournament in court, which ruled in his favor, allowing him to wrestle in the regional and state tournaments.
The recent decision by the NJSIAA controversies committee only became public Monday after it was included in a communication to Mercer County Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Bartels from the NJSIAA’s attorney Robert E. Levy.
“We do not come to this conclusion lightly and understand that some may disagree with our revocation of the title won by Knox,” the NJSIAA wrote in its notice to the court. “However, interscholastic sports are designed to do much more than support student athletic achievement. NJSIAA Rules reflect the fundamental goals of school athletics in supporting personal learning and growth. High school athletics is just as much about fostering teamwork, leadership, and resilience as it is about winning titles given that these lessons will extend beyond the sports field into each student’s academic and personal life. Athletics teach sportsmanship, cooperation, and respect for others.
“Knox did not demonstrate these qualities at the tournament on February 22, 2025. To maintain consistency in punishment and the integrity of our sports program, we find on a de novo review that Knox’s actions require disqualification and forfeiture under the NJSIAA Rules.”
Knox was allowed to compete after he won an appeal, with the court citing that it believed he did not receive sufficient due process, allowing him to reach the state championship in Atlantic City in March 2025.
A conference in the civil case is scheduled for Wednesday, and in an email to The Post, Knox’s attorney Patrick Jennings said that he is on vacation and would be appearing before Judge Bartels on Wednesday via Zoom.
The NJSIAA had no comment about the decision when reached by The Post.
The panel that made the decision to strip Knox of his title held an in-person hearing that lasted roughly two hours and featured testimony from Collingswood police Sgt. Kenneth Jacoby, NJSIAA Executive Director Colleen Maguire and Collingswood High School athletic director Colleen Hartel. The panel took 40 minutes to make its decision, the supporting documents stated.
Knox is one of, if not the most talented, wrestlers in New Jersey high school history. He won his fourth state championship in 2025 while competing for St. John Vianney High School.
Earlier this year, he committed to Rutgers and inked a lucrative NIL deal.
Knox did not appear at the NJSIAA controversies committee hearing in May and documents filed to the court say that he was “personally served notice of the hearing.”
Knox, along with his father, was charged with simple assault – purposely/knowingly causing bodily injury during the Feb. 2025 brawl and the younger Knox later agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors earlier this year, which reduced the charges to disorderly conduct.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
