Fired highschool ladies basketball coach apologizes for pulling participant’s ponytail

NORTHVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — A coach who was fired inside hours of pulling a participant’s ponytail after a loss in a New York ladies basketball state championship sport issued an apology Sunday, saying his actions have been unacceptable.

Jim Zullo, previously the coach of the ladies workforce at Northville Central, was dismissed by the varsity within the Adirondacks after video footage confirmed him pulling the hair of participant Hailey Monroe moments after their workforce misplaced the Class D state last to La Fargeville, 43-37 on Friday night time.

“I deeply remorse my habits following the loss to La Fargeville Friday night time within the Class D state championship sport,” Zullo stated within the assertion, which was first obtained by Albany-area tv station WNYT. “I wish to provide my sincerest apologies to Hailey and her household, our workforce, the great people at Northville Central Colleges and our group.

“As a coach, underneath no circumstance is it acceptable to place my arms on a participant, and I’m really sorry. I want I may have these moments again.”

The incident occurred because the groups have been lining up for the postgame ceremony, which included handshakes between the groups and the presentation of awards following the title sport at Hudson Valley Neighborhood School in Troy.

Zullo, 81, coached at Northville for the previous two seasons and took the workforce to the state last in every of these years. He was a extremely profitable boys coach within the state for many years, profitable a state championship with Shenendehowa Excessive in 1987, earlier than starting to educate ladies in Northville in 2023.

He took the Northville job, partly, at his spouse’s urging whereas she was dying of most cancers. His spouse died throughout the 2023-24 season.

“I’m grateful for the chance to have coached ladies basketball at Northville the previous two years, particularly final season, which was a troublesome time for our household,” Zullo stated. “I’m tremendous happy with each one in every of these younger girls and what they completed. I do know every of them will go on to do nice issues and I want them properly.”

The Northville faculty district stated Friday night time within the assertion asserting that Zullo would now not be teaching on the faculty that it desires to “guarantee the general public that this matter is being taken extraordinarily severely, and the District is actively addressing it.”