>>> A CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION IS YOU BELIEVEDUNDER WAY IN NEW
A REFEREE ORDERED A BLACK HIGH
SCHOOL WRESTLER TO CUT HIS
DREADLOCKS OR FORFEIT A WATCH.
HE CHOSE TO CUT THE DREADLOCKS
AND WON THE MATCH.
THE VIDEO HAS BEEN VIEWED MORE
THAN 14 MILLION TIMES.
THE REFEREE HAS BEEN BENCHED
UNTIL THE STATE REVIEW IS
COMPLETE.
COMPLETE. AS SEFLT HIGH PROFILE PEOPLE
CONDEMNED THE INCIDENT,
INCLUDING THE GOVERNOR AND
SPARKED AN
SPARKED AN SPARKED
SPARKED SPARKED CONTROVERSY.
SPARKED CONTROVERSY. I’M JOINED NOW BY THE CO-HOST OF
THE PODCAST "BURN IT ALL DOWN."
YOU HAVE A NUMBER OF
PERSPECTIVES ON THIS.
AS AN ATHLETE, AS SOMEBODY WHO
MIGHT COME UP AGAINST
REGULATIONS HAVING TO DO WITH
WHAT’S ON YOUR HEAD, BUT I WANT
TO START WITH AS A MOTHER.
WHEN PEOPLE SEE THIS, THEY THINK
OF THEIR KIDS WHO, WHEN THEY’RE
INVOLVED IN SPORTS
AT THE MERCY OF AUTHORITY
AROUND.
AROUND. THIS GUY WAS TOLD, AND YOU CAN
SEE THE COACH OR SOMEBODY THERE
ENCOURAGING HIM.
ENCOURAGING HIM. HE’S TOLD YOU CUT YOUR HAIR OR
YOU PLAY.
YOU PLAY. HE’S GOT TO MAKE THAT DECISION.
HE’S THINK ABOUT HIS FUTURE AND
COMPETITIVE NATURE.
COMPETITIVE NATURE. SEEMS TO BE AN UNFAIR POSITION
TO PUT HIM IN.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. I WOULD SAY MY ROLE AS A MOTHER,
YOU CAN’T SEPARATE THAT.
I DON’T SEPARATE THAT FROM MY
IDENTITY AS A MUSLIM WOMAN AND A
WOMAN OF COLOR.
I SAW THAT VIDEO.
IT WAS INCREDIBLY JARRING.
I UNDERSTAND WHY FRIENDS OF MINE
AND MEMBERS OF THE BLACK
COMMUNITY DON’T WANT TO WATCH IT
BECAUSE IT’S INCREDIBLY
UPSETTING.
UPSETTING. THE WAY THAT HE STANDS THERE AND
HE’S BEING PROPPED UP BY
TEAMMATES WHO ARE WHITE AND I
THINK THE THING IS INCREDIBLY
HORRIFIC.
HORRIFIC. HE SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN PUT IN
THAT POSITION.
THAT POSITION. MY PROBLEM IS WITH THE LACK OF
SUPPORT HE GOT OR INTERFERENCE
FROM PARENTS OR THE COACH.
I DO REALIZE THAT HIS FAMILY
ISSUED A STATEMENT THAT CAME OUT
TODAY AND SAID THEY PUT THE
RESPONSIBILITY OF THIS ON THE
OFFICIAL AND NOT SO MUCH ON THE
COACHES.
COACHES. THAT’S THEIR RIGHT AND THEIR
EXPERIENCE.
EXPERIENCE. AS A PERSON WHO HAS COACHED, AS
A MOTHER, AS SOMEONE WHO MENTORS
YOUNG WOMAN IN SPORTS, I DID NOT
THINK THIS WAY THAT RULED OUT
WAS OKAY IN ANY WAY.
>> I WANT TO BE CLEAR.
YOU’RE SAYING THE GENERAL
SUPPORT OF THE FACT THAT HE DID
THAT IN THE INTEREST OF
COMPETING AND WINNING IS THE
WRONG CONSTRUCT.
WRONG CONSTRUCT. HE SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN
ENCOURAGED FOR SAYING I GOT TO
CUT MY HAIR.
THE ENVIRONMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN
THAT SHOULDN’T HAVE HAD TO BE
THE CASE.
THE CASE. HE SHOULDN’T HAVE HAD TO MAKE
THAT DECISION.
THAT DECISION. >> LET’S REMEMBER HE’S A HIGH
SCHOOL KID.
SCHOOL KID. HE SHOULDN’T BE PUT INTO
POSITION AT ALL.
I DON’T THINK HE SHOULD HAVE
BEEN IN THAT POSITION.
THE WAY THIS WAS FRAMED WAS
PROBLEMATIC.
PROBLEMATIC. HE WAS HAILED AS A HERO AND THE
SITUATION WAS GREAT.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS I
HAD WITH SPORTS MEDIA, THAT I’M
A PART OF, SAYING THIS IS A
GREAT TEAM PLAYER.
THE TEAM DIDN’T DO ANYTHING FOR
HIM.
HIM. HE’S NOT CREATED IN A VACUUM.
HE SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN PUT MANY
THIS POSITION.
THIS POSITION. UPON FURTHER ANALYSIS, IT
DOESN’T LOOK LIKE THE REFEREES
ACTIONS WERE JUSTIFIABLE OR
LEGAL.
LEGAL. ANDREW JOHNSON HAD WRESTLED
BEFORE WITH NO PROBLEMS.
WITH A CAP AND IN ONE
CIRCUMSTANCE WITHOUT A CAP.
THAT WAS UNFAIR.
HEN THE REFEREE HAS A HISTORY OF
BEING INVOLVED IN RACIAL
ALTERCATIONS TO BEGIN WITH.
HE HAS A HISTORY OF THIS.
THIS WAS ABOUT A POWER STRUGGLE.
IT WAS UNFORTUNATE AND TERRIBLE
A YOUTH WAS PUT IN THE MIDDLE OF
THIS.
THIS. WE KNOW THAT WHITE POWER
STRUCTURES IN SPORT TRY TO
CONTROL THE BODIES OF KIDS
WHETHER THROUGH NOT ALLOWING
THEM TO PLAY WITH HEAD SCARVES.
I KNOW THIS.
I’M AN EXPERT ON THIS ISSUE.
LOOK AT THE FLAK THAT SERENA
GETS FOR HER HAIR.
THIS IS ABOUT CONTROLLING THE
BODIES OF ATHLETES.
>> WEARING INGING A HEAD SCARF,
FACE ANY OF THIS?
>> OF COURSE.
MY ENTIRE SPORTS CAREER WAS
THWARTED BECAUSE I DECIDED TO
WEAR A HEAD SCARF.
THE ISSUE ISN’T AS MUCH ABOUT MY
CHOICE.
CHOICE. THE ISSUE IS THE LACK OF
OPPORTUNITY AND UNDERSTANDING
HERE.
HERE. IT’S MY CHOICE TO DO WHAT I WANT
AND WEAR WHAT I WANT WITH MY
BODY.
BODY. THE REGULATIONS AROUND IT ARE
CREATED BY PRIVILEGED MEN.
THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO SIT AT
TABLES.
TABLES. THERE’S NO ISSUE OF SAFETY.
I CAN UNDOUBTEDLY TELL YOU, I’VE
SPENT OVER A DECADE RESEARCHING
THIS.
THIS. THE RULES ABOUT SAFETY ARE NOT
RULES.
RULES. THERE’S NO PROOUABLE DATA TO SAY
A HEAD SCARF HAS INJURED AN
OPPONENT.
OPPONENT. WHAT HAPPENED WITH ANDREW
JOHNSON, DREAD LOCKS HAVE NEVER
BEEN ON FILE TO HURT ANYBODY IN
A WRESTLING MATCH.
THE OLYMPIC AMERICAN WRESTLER
CORROBORATED THAT.
CORROBORATED THAT. HE’S NEVER SEEN THAT IN 25 YEARS
OF WRESTLING, SEEN THIS HAVE TO
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN. IT WAS TERRIBLE.
>> THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR