FOX NEWS - A New Jersey wrestler who was forced to cut his dreadlocks or forfeit a match in December returned to the mat on Saturday for the first time since the controversial incident.
Andrew Johnson, a junior at Buena Regional High School, competed in the eight-team tournament on Saturday with his hair in short, thin dreadlocks, NJ.com reported. The wrestler lost his opening match.
It’s unclear if Johnson had to make adjustments to his hair prior to the tournament to adhere to the rules, which according to NJSIAA regular season, “Wrestlers opting to wear a legal hair cover must wear it to the weigh-in and be checked for grooming. The legal hair cover must be removed prior to the wrestler stepping on the scale to be weighed.”
Johnson’s teammate Jaden Roberts told NJ.com he was happy to see Johnson back in the lineup.
“Andrew’s always been part of the team, no matter what the situation is, and we’re supportive of him,” Roberts said. “I’m not sure how he’s feeling. He just does what he needs to do.”
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