The opening day of the Big 12 Championships featured a flurry of wrestling activity. Nonetheless, every tournament inevitably encounters its own set of controversies, and this occasion was no different, as it revolved around David Taylor’s OSU. So what took place? Recall the moment when Justin Basch shared on X, “Oklahoma State’s Tagen Jamison got DQ’d, he’ll be out for the tournament.” The Cowboys and their fans faced a significant blow with the distressing news regarding Jamison, a key figure among their wrestlers.

In the 141lbs weight class, he holds a noteworthy record of 17 victories and 3 defeats, with his only losses coming from Jesse Mendez, Cael Happel, and Jacob Frost (Data compiled prior to the Big 12 championships). Yet, a wave of uncertainty swept through the wrestling community as Basch released an update, declaring, “UPDATE: Belton & Jamison are now both back in and warming up and are in the hole on Mats 3 and 4. Their matches were skipped, and the opposing teams were told they were DQ’d. Decision reversed.”

David Taylor and his wrestler experienced a significant sense of relief upon receiving the green light to compete in the Big 12 Championships. Nonetheless, Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser expressed his disapproval of the officials’ decision. Although he wasn’t directly competing with the OSU this time, he expressed his own perspective on the reversal of this decision.

Seth Duckworth posted an interview of Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser on X, who expressed his disappointment, stating, “Just disappointed in, you know, nobody wants anybody to sit out. But, you know, if this was the NCAA tournament, there would have been two or three wrestlers that would not have wrestled because the NCAA wouldn’t have put up with the hooey that went on this morning. Right? So there’s policies and there’s procedures that you follow. So I hope all those guys learn because they got a freebie today.”

Dresser expressed frustration regarding the manner in which the officials made their decision. He clarified that there is no conflict with the wrestler, yet emphasized that this situation raises concerns about the integrity of the sport. Indeed, Dresser is someone who takes the wrestling rule book very seriously! In fact, he has a point. If Jamison was really disqualified, the outcome of the Big 12 Championship would have looked significantly different. The Cowboys wrestler competed against Carter Nogle, Andrew Alirez, and Mosha Schwartz in the tournament, emerging victorious over each, which brought his season record to an impressive 20-3.

The Iowa State head coach also conveyed a clear message to David Taylor’s team, emphasizing, “Because if they pull that in Philadelphia, they’ll be watching, they will definitely be watching. But just the fact that they were eliminated and then they were put back in, I could go on and on. I’m not gonna say what I think really happened, but it was a little, there was some shenanigans pulled in the back room, so. We weren’t told anything all day long, all right, nothing, nothing about what was going on, the communication, nothing, nothing.”

The disappointment was obvious, yet this was far from the sole controversy that unfolded at the Big 12 Championships.

Confusion didn’t only involve David Taylor’s OSU

As the Big 12 Championships approached, collegiate wrestling analyst Rock Harrison took to X to share insights, highlighting, “Little controversy at @Big12Conference championship. I was informed that two wrestlers were not in line skin check with credentials at 7:45 and still working out. Big 12 head official was speaking with NCAA coordinator of officials to ensure the proper protocol is implemented.”

The wrestlers who remained unidentified at that moment found themselves in a bit of a difficulty. What transpired? According to Harrison, they overlooked their skin check, a crucial step during wrestling matches. For those who may not be deeply familiar with wrestling, allow me to clarify the rules for you. All participants in wrestling tournaments or matches must undergo a skin examination.

This procedure is essential to ensure that they are not carrying contagious skin infections, such as ringworm or impetigo, which could pose a risk to the health of their fellow wrestlers. Should any competitor be found in violation of the mandated procedures, they could potentially encounter disqualification or face significant penalties. Additionally, Harrison offered clarification on his earlier remarks, asserting, “Regarding the @Big12Conference weigh-in controversy, I was not in the weigh-in area at the time of the issue in question.”

A fan posed a question, declaring, “Rock, you are the best! Can you confirm that Jamison was simply sitting on an exercise bike and an opposing coach accused him of working out thus trying to get him DQ’ed?” Indeed, as discussions unfolded about the OSU wrestler, the fan’s curiosity was obvious. However, the college wrestling analyst responded, “I was not there and cannot confirm.” Beyond the debates, the Big 12 Championship has witnessed a significant amount of activity. The expectations of the fans were undoubtedly met.