On January 9, it was widely reported Joe Gorga charged the referee at his son’s wrestling match. As Gino Gorga was pinned to the mat, Joe apparently couldn’t handle the situation and decided to take out his frustrations physically.
Expectedly, this display of dissatisfaction was not a good look for Joe, and the media quickly latched onto the story. A representative for Joe responded to media coverage by saying Joe felt the referee’s calls were way off base and Gino’s opponent was “mistreating” him. Since then, an eyewitness has come to the Real Housewives of New Jersey star’s defense.
They reported that Gino’s opponent slammed him against the mat twice and stuck his tongue out at Joe, which Joe interpreted as a ‘f*ck you.’ Still, that’s a high schooler, Joe. It was only a matter of time before Melissa Gorga addressed things.
Mel and Joe explain and defend Joe’s actions
On the January 11 episode of Melissa’s podcast, On Display via PodcastOne, Joe and Mel addressed the wrestling match. “You lost your cool,” Melissa began, “You overreacted a little bit.” The two admitted that they were just waiting for the news to hit TMZ, and it didn’t take long.
“There’s always a parent getting annoyed with a ref,” Melissa said. “It happens every meet.” True, but most parents have the decency to not approach the ref. Moreover, like it or not, public figures are held to a higher standard than anyone else.
Melissa went on, “One thing I take from this all is how Gino handled the situation … We hold our kids to a very high standard when it comes to like, how they treat other kids and how they behave and their sportsmanship … You lost your cool [Joe], but Gino did not.”
She further claimed that “dirty play” happened “three [or] four times,” but Gino still kept his cool.
The Gorgas share their pride for Gino
Joe further claimed the story was “getting twisted. People say I charged the mat … There’s a ref out there being paid … if you miss five calls … I mean, come on.” The two further defended Joe’s actions by iterating that Joe had not gone after the kid, just the ref. Mel also said “Everyone was getting a little annoyed” by the referee’s calls, or lack thereof.
Still, Joe slammed Gino’s opponent for sticking out his tongue and engaging in “unsportsmanlike conduct.” Melissa tried to redirect the conversation back to the ref, and Joe said, “He’s the one that caused the problem,” for his unwillingness to listen.
Ultimately, Joe was happy about the event because it resulted in a bonding moment between him and Gino. After Joe had to leave, Gino called him and the two had a calm discussion wherein the son assured his father that everything was okay.
Mel and Joe also claimed that the coach of the opposite team approached Gino and apologized to him.
The two will return to The Real Housewives of New Jersey for Season 14, premiering on Bravo later this year.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF JOE AND MELISSA’S RESPONSE? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE ADDED CONTEXT?
