Referee That Made Wrestler Cut His Dreads Off is Now Suing for Defamation and $100K in Damages

Back in December of last year, a wrestling match made international headlines when a black wrestler, Andrew Johnson, was forced to cut his hair or forfeit a high school wrestling match by a white referee, Alan Maloney. Now, Maloney has sent a letter to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) saying he plans to take legal action. He "feels" the association has participated in DEFAMING him, causing him to lose income and suffer emotional distress. Once the video went viral, he was accused of being racist and feels the association did nothing to correct the narrative. He also claims he was following the rules laid out by the NJSIAA and should NOT be subject to any sort of punishment.  He's claiming damages of $100k. 

Excerpt from TMZ...

In his letter, Maloney states his case ... saying Johnson's hair length violated the rules. Maloney claims he gave Johnson time to get a hair covering, but Johnson did not have one.
So, in accordance with NJSIAA policy, Maloney says "provided the wrestler with the time to correct the deficiency" -- aka, a haircut.
Now, Maloney has fired off a letter to the NJSIAA saying he's planning to take legal action because he feels the association has participated in DEFAMING him, causing him to lose income and suffer emotional distress. He's claiming damages of $100k.