I’m pretty neutral on giving AJ a chance to earn his way onto the team, but last night’s handling of him by the UI was disappointing to say the least.
He and Anthony were watching the meet across the aisle from us, just minding their own business and signing occasional autographs for kids. Out of the blue, about halfway through the meet, a UI staffer who normally sits at the scorer’s table approached them and tried to kick them out of their seats, claiming that they didn’t have tickets for the seats where they were sitting. People sit in seats that aren’t their own on a regular basis — wrestlers and fans alike — especially in the section behind the Iowa bench. Nobody ever gets asked to move, in my experience of attending meets in Carver since it opened. The UI employee was rather hostile and accusatory and appeared to be attempting to embarrass AJ and Anthony. Several fans sitting in our area took exception to the UI staffer’s behavior and he was finally told to stand down by a superior after a very awkward 5-10 minutes.
About 30 minutes later, as AJ was politely signing autographs for a few kids, a security guy came up from the floor and told AJ he was blocking the aisle and needed to move. Fans were seated and watching the meet; there were only a handful of kids and they were in nobody’s way. There was no need to kick him out of the area.
Whether or not AJ is eventually willing and able to earn his way onto the team is open to question, but the display from UI staff last night seemed petty and entirely inappropriate. Regardless of one’s history, that was no way to treat a spectator at any UI event. Hopefully, they learned a lesson and will leave him alone if he attends any more meets going forward. Regardless of whether he ever wrestles for Iowa, he should be treated with at least a modicum of respect by the UI, just like anyone else attending an Iowa wrestling meet in Carver.
