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The longtime upstate New York high school girls’ basketball coach, Jim Zullo, has spoken out following his firing for yanking his player’s hair.
Zullo’s son, Sam, shared his father’s statement to news outlets, including WNYT.
“I deeply regret my behavior following the loss to La Fargeville Friday night in the Class D state championship game,” Zullo said. “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.”
::: HIGH SCHOOL COACH FIRED :::Coach Jim Zullo was FIRED after being caught on camera pulling the hair of a player. The incident happened after his team lost the New York Class D state championship game.And watch that amazing young woman stand up for her friend! pic.twitter.com/OAEsKFt6s0— Robbie Harvey (@therobbieharvey) March 22, 2025
Northville High School fell 43-37 against La Fargeville on Friday in the title game.
“I wish I could have those moments back. I am grateful for the opportunity to have coached girls basketball at Northville the past two years, especially last season, which was a difficult time for our family,” Zullo said.
In the viral clip that led to his termination, Zullo, 81, walked up behind Hailey Monroe and tugged on her ponytail before then yelling in her face.
Monroe’s teammate stood up for her and fired back at Zullo during the altercation.
Monroe looked to be crying both before and after the incident, which came as they were watching their opponents celebrate its New York State Championship. Monroe is a senior and the program’s all-time leading scorer but had fouled out in the game.
Zullo claimed Monroe directed an expletive toward him which led to the viral incident.
The Northville Central School District promptly fired Zullo and said, “The district will be following up with the affected players and their families to provide support and outline the actions we are taking in response to this incident.”
“I am super proud of every one of these young women and what they accomplished,” Zullo said. “I know each of them will go on to do great things and I wish them well.”
