APWrestler Joel Northrup, , of Linn-Mar High School in Iowa, defaulted on his first-round match at the Iowa State Wrestling tournament last week for refusing to wrestle opponent Cassy Herkelman, of Cedar Falls.
High school wrestler Joel Northrup's decision to forfeit his first-round match in Iowa's state tournament last week is getting national attention.
Northrup, a favorite to win in the 112-pound weight class, refused to wrestle because his first-round opponent would have been Cassy Herkelman, a female athlete from Cedar Falls.
Appearing on Fox & Friends on Wednesday morning, Northrup explained his decision and why he doesn't believe wrestling should be a co-ed sport.
“Wrestling is a combat sport and it gets violent at times, you get put in holds that are compromising and I just don’t feel it’s right that boys and girls should wrestle in a manner like this," Northrup said, adding that his religious beliefs also played a role in his decision. “It’s more of a biblical principle of treating the opposite gender with respect.”
Opinions on Northrup's decision have been strongly divided. In one letter to the editor published in the Des Moines Register, Rachel Bandy wrote: "I was disappointed to read that Joel Northrup refused to wrestle Cassy Herkelman because she is a girl. I am even more disappointed to see his refusal being couched as the act of a gentleman or inspired by good sportsmanship. Even Herkelman's family, in an effort to be gracious, no doubt, didn't call it for what it is: sexism."
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