The Collingswood Municipal Court has sentenced Rutgers wrestling commit Anthony Knox Jr. and his father for their role in a brawl that occurred last February, where Knox Jr. rushed into the stands with his father, causing a violent scene among matchgoers.
The pair were originally charged with simple assault for purposely/knowingly causing bodily injury, as the father-son duo was seen as the culprit for the violence.
NJ.com reported on Wednesday that Knox Jr. pleaded down to disorderly conduct, while
Knox Sr. pleaded down to disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace. Knox Jr. will have to serve one year of probation, according to Judge Brian Herman. If Knox Jr. abides by the terms of his probation, the charges will be dismissed. If he does not, he will face the original charges.
According to several different interviews with the Knox family, the incident occurred because some members of the crowd were heckling Knox Jr. and his teammates. In one interview, Knox Sr. claims they were yelling racial slurs while cursing at his son and wife. This prompted Knox Sr. to confront the hecklers. It is at this point that he claimed the hecklers assaulted him. According to Knox Jr., this was the reason why he felt the need to run up into the stands to aid his father.
When the family was asked where the instigators were from, Knox Sr., Jr. and Debra Knox all said West Deptford. Witnesses and the West Deptford School District have disputed these accusations.
The Collingswood Police Officer who filed the complaint against Knox Jr. claims he saw him punch a minor about the face repeatedly, bruising his right temple. He also claims that he saw Knox Sr. attempt to kick and stomp a spectator lying on the floor several times.
Knox Jr. was initially disqualified from the tournament he was participating in, but a temporary restraining order handed out by a judge allowed him resume participation. He would go on to win this fourth state title in four years later that year. He is the fifth player ever to do so in New Jersey. Two of the other wrestlers to achieve such a feat are Rutgers legends Anthony Ashnault and Nick Suriano, who both became national champions in their weight class during their time at Rutgers.
Knox Jr. originally committed to wrestle at Cornell, but Rutgers was able to flip his commitment a few weeks ago. Despite the brawl and negative air around his name, the Knights were not deterred from signing Knox, who was the No. 1 126-pound wrestler in the country during the 2025 season.
According to an interview with NJ.com, Rutgers wrestling coach Scott Goodale isn’t concerned with bringing Knox on the team.
“I’ve talked to certain people. I have no problems bringing Anthony into our program. We talked about the ongoing proceedings as an athletic department, but there were no real concerns on our end.”
Knox Jr. signed a deal with Rutgers where it is believed that he will make around $200,000 a year in NIL money, in addition to his scholarship, according to NJ.com. He will begin his tenure at Rutgers in June, according to Goodale.
