Former high school girls basketball coach apologizes for pulling player’s ponytail “under no circumstance is it acceptable”

Jim Zullo, an 81-year-old basketball coach, was dismissed from his position at Northville High School after aggressively yanking at the hair of one his players as a form of reprimand following a team defeat. The incident, captured on video, has gone viral, sparking outrage over the mistreatment of the player.

Basketball coach sacked for yanking high school player’s hair

Visibly angry, Zullo can be seen leaping from the bench as his players stood on the touchline waiting to be presented their losers' medals at the end of the game. Then, in a shocking moment, he violently tugs Hailey Monroe’s ponytail. Monroe, the Falcons’ star senior who scored 12 points in the defeat, started crying while her teammate Ahmya Tompkins intervened, appearing to tell the coach “Don’t do that!”

Tompkins, who according to local news outlets is Zullo’s great-niece, then felt the coach’s wrath as he reprimanded her for stepping in.

The incident occurred following Northville High School’s 43-37 loss to Fargeville in the Class D final of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy. A video showing Zullo’s outburst went viral.

Zullo issues apology

The veteran coach has since been dismissed but aplogized in a statement: “I want to offer my sincerest apologies to Hailey and her family, our team, the good folks at Northville Central Schools and our community. As a coach, under no circumstance is it acceptable to put my hands on a player, and I am truly sorry.”

The school responded with a statement, which it posted on social media on Saturday, to confirm Zullo has been dismissed: “The Northville Central School District is aware of, and deeply disturbed by, the conduct of the Coach of the Girls’ Varsity basketball team during the Class D New York State championship game. The District is committed to ensuring that this type of behavior has no place within our programs, and we will continue to uphold the values of respect and integrity that our athletes, families and community expect and deserve. This individual will no longer be coaching for the Northville Central School District.”

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