NJ wrestlers scratched from state tournament over lynching photo

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Eight high school wrestlers from New Jersey were scratched from the state’s upcoming District 1 tournament after a controversial photo of what appears to be seven of those team members surfaced online earlier this week.

The photo shows seven white Phillipsburg wrestlers posing around a black dummy wearing a Paulsboro High School wrestling shirt, hanging from a noose. Two students in the photo appear to be wearing pointed hoods.

Phillipsburg and Paulsboro are longtime athletic rivals, especially when it comes to wrestling.

Phillipsburg principal Gregory A. Troxell has yet to comment on the situation.

“It’s a private student matter,” Troxell said, according to NJ.com. “[And] no other Phillipsburg High official can comment on it.”

New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Assistant Director Larry White said the photo was sent to the state Division on Civil Rights on Tuesday under an anti-bullying policy, reports the Associated Press. 

“The Division on Civil Rights is monitoring the respective responses of the school and the NJSIAA,” said spokesman for the Attorney General’s office said in a press release, according to The Star-Ledger. “The Division will review whether further investigation and action is appropriate.”

The eight members who have been scratched from the state tournament are planning to speak out, according to the Associated Press, but they have not provided a specific time.

Follow Carrie Healey on Twitter @CarrieHeals.