Veteran High School Basketball Coach Fired After Pulling Girl's Hair

The Northville Central School District has fired a longtime high school basketball coach after he yanked a female player's hair after the game.

The disturbing incident was caught on camera and shared on social media, leading to several reactions from netizens, who blasted the basketball coach.

Meanwhile, the basketball coach revealed what transpired between him and the player before he pulled her hair.

A viral video showed the moment Jim Zullo, an 81-year-old high school basketball coach, violently pulled one of his player's ponytails.

In the clip, Zullo and his players stood courtside after losing 37-43 to La Fargeville when the coach approached the team's star player, Hailey Monroe, from behind and yanked her hair forcefully, shocking her.

Afterward, he began yelling at Monroe, who appeared to be crying after the loss. Seemingly terrified, Monroe tried to get away from Zullo as he continued voicing his displeasure toward her.

Monroe's teammate then stepped between her and Zullo in an apparent attempt to prevent any further attack before the camera cut away.

According to CBS6 Albany, the basketball game was the final of the Class D girls' final at Hudson Valley Community College.

Monroe, a senior and the program's all-time leading scorer, had fouled out of the game. She was waiting with her teammates for the medal presentation before Zullo pulled her hair.

The basketball coach told News10 that Monroe allegedly directed an expletive toward him after he told her to shake hands with the opposing team.

Her reaction to his instruction led to their altercation.

A Facebook user, Alyssa Leroux, shared a clip showing the moment Zullo pulled Monroe's hair while she watched the game via NHS Network.

She captioned the post, "This was completely unacceptable ..."

Her video quickly went viral, generating multiple comments from netizens who couldn't believe the basketball coach's actions.

One person asked, "Omg why is he so angry? What did she do Not that anything is deserving of that but... WTH?"

Another person opined, "Absolutely unacceptable! What did he do all season without cameras?!!"

A third Facebook user added, "No matter the outcome, she DID NOT DESERVE THAT!! No one does! He crossed a huge line and if I was the parents I'd go completely unhinged!!"

Meanwhile, several other netizens called for the veteran basketball coach's sack after his disturbing actions.

One person said, "I hope this got turned in and he is not allowed to coach ever again."

Another person opined, "Wow he needs to be fired!!!!"

A third person added, "First, the school should fire him. Second, local police should arrest him either for Endangering or harassment. He is done no matter what."

Another Facebook user also commended Monroe's teammate for standing up for her after Zullo yanked her hair.

They wrote, "I would be so proud of my daughter for standing up for her teammate like this girl did!"

The Northville Central School District didn't waste time responding to the incident and did so via a statement on the school's website.

In the statement titled "A Letter to Our Athletes, Families, and Community," they said, "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 statement continued, "We hold our coaches to the highest standards of professionalism, sportsmanship, and respect for our student-athletes, and this behavior is completely unacceptable."

The school announced Zullo's sacking, writing, "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."

The statement concluded, "We assure the public that this matter is being taken extremely seriously, and the District is actively addressing it. 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."

Meanwhile, Monroe's family has yet to react to the incident.