Board of Governors votes to remove Hastert

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame announced on Monday that its Board of Governors has unanimously passed a resolution to revoke all honors bestowed upon Dennis Hastert by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

The Board of Governors decision comes after a complete and thorough review by the NWHOF Ethics Committee that concluded Hastert acted in a manner considered detrimental to the ideals and objectives and contrary to the mission statement of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and his actions were grounds for removal in accordance with the NWHOF Ethics Policy.

“In the 40 years since it was founded, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame has never had to remove an individual who had received one of its highest awards,” said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director. “When the NWHOF learned of the charges against Dennis Hastert, the ethics committee decided that the United States court system should determine the veracity of the charges. The NWHOF wanted to ensure that Mr. Hastert received due process and his day in court before a course of action was recommended to the Board of Governors.”

The awards that have been removed are the Order of Merit and the Outstanding American awards presented by the NWHOF in 1996 and 2000, the Outstanding American award presented by the Illinois Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003, and the Sport of Lincoln Award presented by the Dan Gable Museum in 2009.

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