lots of leaps to conclusions in this thread. that's somewhat disappointing, as 1) the entire saga has not been presented in the linked article, and 2) many seem to be uninformed of the rules,
It sounds as though this was a dual meet, as it took place on a Wednesday. In many instances at duals, the ref for the JV conducts the weigh-ins, where the skin, nail, and hair checks are also performed. As
@lookleft goright indicated, there are also times when due to traffic issues, schedule issues, etc., a ref can't get to the weigh-in in time, so the process is conducted by the two head coaches. So at this time, we don't know if the ref that officiated the dual conducted the weigh-ins, or if a ref even conducted the weigh-ins.
Next, at weigh-ins, it's not uncommon for wrestlers to not have their headgear with them. In situations where a wrestler has long hair that exceeds the limits (below the eye brow, below the ear lobe, or below the collar), the ref will inform the wrestler that they need to cut their hair before they can wrestle. Or, they'll give them the option of wearing a hair covering. Similarly, in situations where the hair is braided, the ref will remind the wrestler that they have to wear a hair covering that is attached to the headgear. (That's the NFHS rule. Simple hair covers that are not attached to the headgear are illegal.) If the wrestler has the hair covering and headgear with them, the ref will inspect it, but as I mentioned at the start of the paragraph, it's not unusual for the wrestlers to not have their headgear with them. So at this time, we don't know if the ref that officiated, or the ref that conducted the weigh-ins, inspected the headgear to check that the hair cover attached to it.
At weigh-ins, it's not uncommon for wrestlers with long nails, or sideburns that are too long or hair/ facial hair that needs to be shaved, or long hair, to indicate that they'll address the problem after the weigh in, as the clipper, the razor, or the scissors are in an equipment bag that's not at the weigh ins. If they are wrestling JV, the ref that performed the weigh-ins will check them in the time between the weigh-ins and the start of the match. For varsity matches, it's not uncommon for the JV ref to simply inform the varsity ref, when that person arrives, of the deficiencies, and the varsity ref will check those specific wrestlers to ensure that the problem was addressed.
Once a wrestler presents on the mat to wrestle, if they are found to be wearing illegal uniforms, illegal equipment, lacking required equipment, etc., the NFHS rules are to put them on the injury clock. If they can not satisfy the problem by the time the injury time runs out, then they have to forfeit.
From the linked article, we do not know what took place in the conversation between the ref and the wrestler. My SUSPICION, based on years of being involved in this process, is that the wrestler presented at the mat with a hair covering that was not attached to the headgear. Once the ref noticed that, the NFHS rules would be to put the wrestler on the injury clock, and then inform him that he had to get a legal hair cover/headgear combo, and that if he didn't have that, that he needed to have his hair cut. My SUSPICION is that the ref asked the wrestler if they he had a legal hair cover/headgear combo, and once he/his coach indicated that he did not, the ref informed the wrestler that he needed to cut his hair or he would forfeit the match, and then put him on the injury clock. Because he was on the clock, and needed to resolve the situation quickly, and didn't want to forfeit the match, the hair cut was performed mat side, which also made it so that a fan or a reporter could video the prices.
While I was putting this together, I see that
@RoarLions1 posted a short but wise post.
The ref in this incident is pretty well known, and has a good reputation as a ref.
In many ways, this reminds me of an incident that took place in a PIAA girls basketball district contest last winter. At the time, if an athlete had a religious requirement for wearing any type of head piece, they had to have a authorization form from the PIAA. Basically, the athlete would indicate they had to wear the head piece, the school would send a form home with the student to get signed. Once it was signed and returned to the school, they would transmit it to the PIAA, and the PIAA would automatically authorize it. In many cases, during the regular season, refs would encounter players wearing religious head pieces. They'd ask the coach for the form, and find out that they'd yet to receive a signed form back from the parents, or some other issue, and the refs would break the rules, and allow the athlete to compete. However, in the playoffs, the refs are always reminded of the official rules, and asked to enforce them. So last winter, a ref enforced the rule in a girls basketball district 12 playoff game in Philadelphia. When the coach could not produce the PIAA authorization form for the athlete, the ref ruled that the player could not play in the playoff game. The incident went viral, as it was on all the local TV stations, in all the newspapers, with all kinds of claims that the ref was prejudiced, etc. A bunch of local and state politicians also spouted off about the incident, and sent letters to the PIAA, or introduced rules in the PA legislature to allow athletes to wear religious headgear. The PIAA worked with the NFHS, and in most sports athletes no longer need an authorization form to wear religious head pieces. Interestingly, wrestling was an exception to that change. Wrestlers still need a PIAA authorization form to wear any type of religious head wrap.
