If you haven't been up to speed on recent MMA news over the past few months, there was a firing at the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board in November that caused some feathers to be ruffled inside the MMA community. Larry Hazzard, the long-time commissioner of the NJSACB for 22 years, was fired and was apparently given no reason as to why he had been terminated. Hazzard has submitted a letter only a month earlier pointing out charges of "malfeasance" against officials at the NJSACB. From the looks of it, Governor Jon Corzine's rebuttal to the letter was to fire him. Hazzard was instrumental in bringing mixed martial arts to New Jersey, and by bringing the sport to NJ, it helped the progress of MMA being brought to other states.

With that all said, there are a few charges in this posting of the full details of the lawsuit by Eddie Goldman at ADCC News that are very interesting and appauling:

(a)     allowing mismatches in amateur mixed martial arts (“MMA”) contests;
(b)     allowing a professional MMA participant to fight an amateur;
(c)     failing to suspend a combatant who tested non-negative for HIV;
(d)     accepting a CT Scan that revealed marked brain impairment;
(e)     allowing amateur promoters to deviate from sanction protocols;
(f)      accepting medical submissions over the objections of commission physicians;
(g)     allowing promoters to “shop” for medical doctors’ approvals;
(h)     allowing MMA promoters to deviate from sanction protocols;
(i)      failing to collect the James Toney Bout Agreement;
(j)       permitting a combatant to compete who did not attend a weigh-in ceremony;
(k)      allowing urine samples to sit in unsecured refrigerators;
(l)       permitting contestants to participate without submitting required medical documents;
(m)     unilaterally reducing medical suspensions without consulting physicians and/or conducting post-fight testing;
(n)     issuing licenses to unidentified individuals;
(o)     allowing promoters to ignore their obligations regarding the payment of checks and the payment of ringside officials; and
(p)     mismanaging the implementation of a medical database.

Now, there is some pretty blatant disregard for the rules and laws of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board here. The more negligent charges are that they allowed a fighter to fight with a brain impairment on his CT Scan, allowed a pro fighter to fight an amateur, permitting someone to fight who didn't weigh-in, and stored urine samples in an unsecured refridgerator.

There are two other charges that are appauling and if proven, will probably get a lot of people fired. The board apparently failed to suspend a fighter who tested non-negative for HIV. If that's not unbelievable, they also reduced medical suspensions without consulting any doctors and issued licenses to unidentified individuals. According to the lawsuit, Deputy Commissioner Sylvester Cuyler is the man to blame and is named in the lawsuit.

If the NJSACB was actually this negligent in its processes, there needs to be a serious investigation into these charges. The safety of fighters is first and foremost, and it's only a matter of time before something tragic happens because of this negligence.