The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association has summoned Anthony Knox.
The NJSIAA, the state governing body for high school athletics, has notified Knox’s attorney Patrick J. Jennings of its intention to hold a Controversies Committee hearing on April 9 related to an incident involving the former St. John Vianney wrestler at the 2025 District 25 wrestling championship tournament in Collingswood, and whether Knox’s subsequent Region 7 and state championship victory should be revoked.
Knox, then a student at St. John Vianney, is now a freshman at Rutgers after originally committing to Cornell. He became New Jersey’s fifth four-time New Jersey state wrestling champion in March 2025.
Citing video evidence of Knox’s actions, the NJSIAA suspended Knox after the altercation at District 25, but then was reinstated by Mercer County Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Bartels on multiple grounds, including the fact that Knox was not given a hearing by the NJSIAA and that since he was finished competing for the day, Knox did not leave the “bench area” that would have triggered an automatic suspension for future competition as per NJSIAA rules.
NJSIAA spokesman Mike Cherenson said litigation on the Knox case was still pending.
“The NJSIAA maintains authority over its championships,” Cherenson said in a March 18 email to NorthJersey.com. “As the matter is before both the court and NJSIAA committees, the NJSIAA will not comment on the substance of the case.”
In a letter to Bartels, Jennings said he would not accept service of the NJSIAA’s notice and that the NJSIAA no longer has authority to serve Knox with any papers involving a hearing citing the fact that he is no longer a high school student.
“The NJSIAA does not have any authority over student-athletes in perpetuity,” Jennings told NorthJersey.com. “Regarding the NJSIAA’s self-serving attempt to convene such an internal hearing, it should be forewarned, any action taken by NJSIAA against Mr. Knox at this time not only will be challenged in a court of law, any such action will be met with an additional lawsuit against NJSIAA and its Executive Director [Colleen Maguire] personally.”
In his letter to Bartels, Jennings calls the actions of the NJSIAA “absurd, harassing and contrary to law” and asks how the NJSIAA is supposed to now give Knox a fair hearing when they have gone on the record in court proceedings alleging his guilt.
“Having failed to prevail on Summary Judgement and having failed to prevail on its Leave to Appeal application, NJSIAA now attempts to circumvent the process, take matters into its own hands and argue that its behavior is in line with the Court’s reasoning,” writes Jennings.
The NJSIAA has revoked team titles based on later findings, including the North Bergen football team’s sectional title in 2011 for recruiting violations, and Mainland’s sectional football title in 1995 for using an ineligible player.
Knox admitted guilt to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct at a municipal court hearing in Collingswood on Jan. 28 and was sentenced to a one-year probationary term with his record to be cleared if he completed it successfully.
Knox’s father, Anthony J. Knox, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace and was fined $1,000.
Anthony Knox’s NJ high school wrestling record
In his high school career, Knox was a four-time region champion, a four-time district champion, a three-time Shore Conference Tournament champion and a three-time Beast of the East champion.
He went 147-1 for his career, was unbeaten against New Jersey wrestlers, and won the final 138 bouts of his career.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ wrestling: Anthony Knox, former St. John Vianney star, has hearing set by NJSIAA
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