In a recent development, New York basketball coach James Zullo was dismissed after being filmed pulling the hair of one of his players post-game.
This incident, captured on camera on March 21, gained significant attention. Zullo, who coached the Northville High School girls’ basketball team, was involved in this altercation during a championship match against La Fargeville at Hudson Valley Community College.
The video shows Zullo approaching an upset player, Hailey Monroe, and pulling her ponytail. This action caused her head to jerk back, prompting another player to step in between Monroe and the coach.
Following this event, the Northville Central School District stated that Zullo would “no longer be coaching for the Northville Central School District.”
“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,” it said in a statement.
Recently, Monroe has initiated legal action against both the Northville Central School District and Zullo, accusing him of exhibiting aggressive and bullying conduct during the game.
CBS 6 reports that the lawsuit accuses Zullo of yelling at Monroe before pulling her hair and alleges that he has a history of inappropriate behavior towards team members, which the district supposedly knew about.
The district faces allegations of neglecting to protect students from both physical and mental harm.
Monroe is pursuing compensation for the harm and expenses resulting from the alleged assault. Both the school district and Zullo have been given 20 days to respond after being notified of the lawsuit.
After the video became widely shared, Zullo expressed remorse for his actions, stating he “deeply regret[s]” his behavior.
“I want to offer my sincerest apologies to Hailey and her family, our team, the good folks at Northville Central Schools and our community,” he said in a statement.
“As a coach, under no circumstance is it acceptable to put my hands on a player, and I am truly sorry. 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.
“I am super proud of every one of these young women and what they accomplished. I know each of them will go on to do great things and I wish them well.”
UNILAD has contacted the Northville Central School District for comments.