New Jersey wrestling champion and dad reach plea deal in tournament brawl case
Anthony Knox Jr., the New Jersey state wrestling champion, and his father, Anthony Knox Sr., have been handed out punishments for their roles in a brawl that broke out last year during a district tournament.
Knox, who committed to wrestle at Rutgers University, and his dad were initially charged with simple assault for purposely/knowingly causing bodily injury after a brawl broke out at Collingswood High School on February. 22, 2025.
They both reached a plea bargain, reducing Knox Jr.’s charges to disorderly conduct, per NJ.com. Knox Sr.’s charges were downgraded to disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace.
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Also, the judge set a one-year probation on Knox Jr. If he abides by the probation, charges will be dismissed.
Knox Sr., a former MMA fighter who told the court, "It was a truly, truly unfortunate incident," must pay a fine of $1,000.
The Knox’s were detained after the brawl at the high school dissipated last year. Knox Jr. had already won his match for St. John Vianney High School, which checked another key box on his way to an expected fourth straight New Jersey title in his weight class.
Videos appeared on social media showing Knox Jr. sprinting up the bleachers to join the brawl.
"The defendant did enter the opposing team’s designated section of the gymnasium bleachers during the District 25 wrestling tournament, where he proceeded to punch [redacted] about the face and head repeatedly, which result in bruising and pain to the right temple area," court documents obtained by The New York Post read.
Knox Jr. was disqualified by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) from participation in the tournament until Mercer County Superior Court Judge Patrick Bartels granted him a temporary restraining order from his ban, allowing him to compete in the Region 7 tournament.
Knox Jr. issued a statement at the time explaining why he joined the brawl, in which he said his father approached the opposing team to address alleged insults.
"During the finals matches, the atmosphere of the crowd became increasingly hostile toward me and my teammates because of our success," Knox Jr.’s statement read, which Bartels asked of him. "Insults were hurled at us. Apparently, my father approached the people hurling the insults and asked them to stop.
"In response, I saw these people lunge forward assaulting my father and he was pulled down and completely surrounded by unruly people. My immediate reaction was to run close to the section to aid in the protection and safety of my father and mother, who was with me. I dispute the NJSIAA’s adopted version of the facts."
The Knox family also participated in an interview with ABC7, where Knox Sr. said "racial slurs" were being said toward kids on the mats below.
"[I] saw a bunch of grown men yelling racial slurs at kids that I’ve been training since they were 6 years old, cursing at my son, cursing at my wife," Knox Sr. said.
"As a man, I walked over, walked up into the stands and asked the guy to stop. At that point, I was assaulted. Never threw a punch. Never hurt anybody. Never ran up there like a bat out of hell just throwing punches at people. None of that happened. I got pushed down the bleachers. I could have gotten seriously injured. Then I got surrounded by about 10 other families."
Knox Jr. was the No.1-ranked 126-pound wrestler in the country last season, and despite the legal troubles, Rutgers was not deterred from bringing him into the program on a $200,000 annual NIL deal, per NJ.com.
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