"My mom's crying every other day"- High school wrestler Anthony Knox reveals difficult family times after NJSIAA suspension following bleachers brawl

St. John Vianney's Anthony Knox shared that his family, especially his mother, has been through tough times since his disqualification from a high school championship event on February 22, 2025. The New Jersey wrestler and his father were charged with involvement in a bleacher brawl at the event.

Anthony Knox was at the helm of success when he was vying for his fourth state title at the NJSIAA District 25 Tournament. Midway through his state finals match, his father, Anthony Knox Sr, entered the opponent team's spectators' box and hurled punches at fans who attacked the St. John Vianney wrestlers with taunts and racial slurs. Knox Jr. got involved in the ruckus and faced a disqualification from the NJSIAA for violating multiple rules.

The suspension was short-lived as a Mercer County Superior Court judge allowed him to be in contention for his state title on his lawyer Patrick J. Jennings' appeal. In March 2025, Knox became the first Shore Conference wrestler to win four state championship titles.

In his documentary by FloWrestling, Knox shared how difficult it was for the family to cope with the suspension and everything that came along.

"It's a lot. You know, the most classy thing I guess would be to be like, yeah, you know, I was just focused on training and it's just on to the next, but that's not the reality of a situation like this. The reality is my mom's crying every other day. It's a lot of stress within the family, a lot of sleepless nights, just a lot of anxiety and anxiety ultimately leads to depression, right? So it's just a lot of feeling anxious and a lot of feeling sad and then feeling happy and kind of just my emotions all over the place." (beginning 1:40)

Knox capped his four years with a 144-1 record, only losing in the Escape the Rock Tournament final in his freshman year.

Anthony Knox on choosing his family over wrestling

Knox gained fame as one of the most formidable high school wrestlers, but one of his actions could have ended his career prematurely. However, in an interview, Knox didn't regret standing beside his father when he got into the fight. Instead, he declared he would always keep his family first and stand up for them.

"The protection of my family is the No. 1 thing to me. If I had a choice of protecting my family or never wrestling a match again, I would choose protecting my family every single time. I felt that my family's lives and well being were at risk, and that's why I stepped in."

Anthony Knox bagged three titles at the prestigious Beast of the East Tournament and many other accolades in his high school career.