Former high schoolgirls basketball coach Jim Zullo broke his silence after his resignation, days away when he pulled the hair of a female player during a state championship.
Zullo, 81, was the coach at Northville High School, who is a little more than an hour away from Albany, and committed the despicable act just after 43-37 in the New York State Class d Championship.
The player who pulled her hair has been identified as senior Hailey Monroe, who seems to be in tears at the time of the incident.
Zullo lets the hair pull and starts screaming at Monroe before another player, who seems to be Ahmya Tompkins, reportedly Zullo's niece, between her Northville teammate and head coach.
Zullo then starts to scream against both, with both Tompkins and her head coach that focuses on each other. None of what was said in the order can be heard in the video.
After the video had gone viral and millions watched it, Zullo pronounced and repented for his actions.
A Basketball Coach from high school in New York, Jim Zullo, was fired after he had pulled the hair from a player
Zullo was the coach at Northville High School, which is a little more than an hour away from Albany
“I am deeply regretted by my behavior,” Zullo said in a statement to ABC. 'As a coach, it is not acceptable to give a player in the hands, and I am really sorry. I wish I could have those moments back. '
Northville quickly moved to the fire of Zullo after the incident. The attempt by DailyMail.com to get a comment from Monroe about the incident was not successful.
Allegedly, Zullo told News10 ABC that Monroe swore to him after he had instructed her to shake hands with the other team. Her reaction is reportedly preceded the hair lining.
Zullo had been a basketball coach in high school in the state of New York for years, initially retired in 1999 after a 34-year career on the bank.
He retired in 2023 to lead the Northville Girls program and led the team to back-to-back performances of the state. The end of the last of those two games is when Monroe's hair was pulled.
“We stick to our coaches at the highest standards of professionalism, sportiness and respect for our student athletes,” the district said in a statement. “This behavior is completely unacceptable. This person will no longer coach for Northville Central School District. '
The Northville School District also said it would follow it with the people involved in the community.
