Ex-Northville Coach Jim Zullo Guilty in Hair-Pulling Case

After a video of the event went viral online, a former girls basketball coach in upstate New York formally admitted to pulling a high school player’s hair in a fit of rage.

Jim Zullo, head coach, Falcons.

On Tuesday, July 29, Jim Zullo, 81, the former coach of Northville High School, entered a guilty plea to second-degree harassment. A $120 fine was imposed on him.

According to the Daily Voice, incident happened months after Zullo was seen on camera yanking a player’s ponytail after Northville lost to La Fargeville in the Class D state playoffs at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.

A live NFHS broadcast recorded the dramatic postgame moment on camera, showing Zullo pulling senior Hailey Monroe by the ponytail and seemingly yelling at her. Monroe is the all-time top scorer for Northville.

The coach then turns and yells at the second player, as another teammate is seen stepping between Monroe and Zullo.

As soon as the video went viral, it received widespread national attention and harsh criticism from the high school athletic community. The Northville Central School District declared Zullo’s termination in the days that followed, deeming the conduct wholly unacceptable.

In a statement to families, district officials stated that this behavior is totally unacceptable since we hold our coaches to the greatest standards of professionalism, sportsmanship, and respect for our student-athletes. The integrity and respect that our athletes, families, and community demand and deserve will be upheld.

Following his public apology, Zullo told WNYThe that he sincerely regretted what he had done.

“I sincerely apologize,” he stated, adding that it is never acceptable for a coach to touch a player. I long for those times to return.

After two years of coaching Northville’s girls squad, Zullo said he was still happy of the athletes and their accomplishments.

Watch video of the incident below: