Philipsburg High School wrestlers, from left, Tyler Agans, Tylor Petchonka, Andrew Horun,
Broderick Bupivi, Jimmy Schuitema, Tim Hinkle, Garrett Wolfinger, and Daniel Wissing, who
were scratched from a state tournament days after a photo surfaced of team members app-
arently simulating a lynching, look on as their attorney, Scott Wilhelm, reads a statement on
their behalf at a news conference on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014 in Philipsburg, N.J. The photo
features seven wrestlers apparently simulating a lynching of a black wrestling dummy in a
rival team's shirt.
(AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

Philipsburg High School wrestlers, seated from left, Tyler Agans, Tylor Petchonka, Andrew
Horun, Broderick Bupivi, Jimmy Schuitema, Tim Hinkle, Garrett Wolfinger, and Daniel Wissing,
who were scratched from a state tournament days after a photo surfaced of team members
apparently simulating a lynching, look on as their attorney, Scott Wilhelm, not shown, reads a
statement on their behalf at a news conference on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014 in Philipsburg, N.J.
The photo features seven wrestlers apparently simulating a lynching of a black wrestling
dummy in a rival team's shirt. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

Scott Wilhelm, attorney for eight New Jersey high school wrestlers scratched from a state tour-
nament days after a photo surfaced of team members apparently simulating a lynching, reads a
statement on behalf of his clients at a news conference on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014 in Philips-
burg , N.J. The photo features seven Philipsburg High School wrestlers apparently simulating
a lynching of a black wrestling dummy in a rival team's shirt. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/02/high_school_wrestlers_suspended_for_lynching_photo.html

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Eight New Jersey high school wrestlers have been kept out of a state tournament after a photo surfaced showing the team members simulating lynching of a black wrestling dummy in a rival team's shirt, the Associated Press reports.

On Thursday, Scott Wilhelm, an attorney for the wrestlers, read a prepared statement claiming that the Phillipsburg High School students were merely showing school spirit and didn't think what they were doing could be seen as insensitive, AP reports. Wilhelm, standing in front of the boys, who sat at a table and didn't speak, stated that the boys were sorry if they offended anyone. "We did not intend to disparage anyone," the boys' lawyer said. "We are truly sorry for any harm we may have caused."

The wrestling dummy used in the photo is manufactured only in dark leather and is used in daily practices, the statement noted. "In outfitting the wrestling dummy, we did not give any thought to the physical appearance of the dummy as anything other than an unidentified generic wrestler," Wilhelm said. AP notes that the picture posted online showed seven boys in Phillipsburg wrestling attire surrounding a black wrestling dummy wearing a Paulsboro High School T-shirt and hanging from a noose. It is unclear why eight boys have been suspended from the tournament when only seven students are shown in the photo.

According to AP, the town of Phillipsburg's population is 85 percent white, while Paulsboro is about one-third black. School officials aren't saying whether any additional disciplinary actions would be taken, AP said.

Read more at the [color="Orange"]Associated Press.
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TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Eight New Jersey high school wrestlers scratched from a state tournament days after a photo surfaced of team members apparently simulating a lynching were intending to show school spirit, their attorney said Thursday.

In a prepared statement, Scott Wilhelm said the Philipsburg High School students didn't think what they were doing could be seen as insensitive and they were sorry for offending anyone. The boys sat at a table while the statement was read, but didn't comment. The photo features seven of the wrestlers apparently simulating a lynching of a black wrestling dummy in a rival team's shirt.

"We did not intend to disparage anyone," the boys' lawyer said. "We are truly sorry for any harm we may have caused."

The statement noted that the wrestling dummy in the photo is used in daily practices and, as far as they know, is only manufactured in dark leather.

"In outfitting the wrestling dummy, we did not give any thought to the physical appearance of the dummy as anything other than an unidentified generic wrestler," Wilhelm said.

Phillipsburg school officials made a statement Thursday saying that they take the case seriously and "took the necessary actions to hold accountable those involved" but would not disclose the punishments because they are "student issues." But the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association did comment on the athletes' fate. The group's executive director, Steven Timko, confirmed that the students in the photograph will not be in the tournament. "This is an appropriate response to this violation of the Sportsmanship Rule," Timko said in a statement.

He said the group, which oversees high school sports in New Jersey, will work with Phillipsburg on a plan to make sure such actions do not happen again. The picture posted online showed seven boys in Phillipsburg wrestling attire surrounding a black wrestling dummy wearing a Paulsboro High School T-shirt and hanging from a noose.

It is not clear why eight boys are out of the tournament rather than seven.

The wrestlers were identified by their lawyer as Andrew Horun, Tyler Agans, Jimmy Schuitema, Tim Hinkle, Broderick Bupivi, Tylor Petchonka, Daniel Wissing and Garrett Wolfinger.

Paulsboro and Phillipsburg are longtime wrestling powers in New Jersey. Both are working-class towns along the Delaware River, Phillipsburg in northwest New Jersey and Paulsboro southeast of Philadelphia. Phillipsburg's population is about 85 percent white, while more than one-third of the residents of Paulsboro are black.

Phillipsburg won a meet with Paulsboro on Feb. 1.
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