High School Girls' Basketball Coach Fired After Shocking Video Shows Him Pulling Player's Hair Following Loss

A high school basketball coach has been fired after physically assaulting one of his players in a heated spat… And it’s all on camera.

81-year-old Jim Zullo is under fire after footage captured him yanking the ponytail of a Northville High School girl’s basketball team member on Friday night after they lost the Class D New York state championship. That’s right. An 81-year-old man pulled a teen girl’s ponytail because his team lost a basketball game. We WISH we were joking!

In the footage, which has gone viral on social media, Zullo can be seen approaching Hailey Munroe from behind and grabbing hold of her hair before swiftly yanking it. Her teammate quickly got in between them and scolded him, before a heated exchange of words — and pointer fingers — broke out between them. See (below):

ICYMI: Northville basketball coach Jim Zullo is fired after pulling the hair of one of the players, after the team lost the Class D finals Friday night. Courtesy: NHFShttps://t.co/u61zRKc2f0 pic.twitter.com/DUHRpV4WZu

— CBS 6 Albany – WRGB (@CBS6Albany) March 22, 2025

Disgusting! What is this grumpy old man’s deal?!

In the days following, Northville Central School District Superintendent Sarah A. Chauncey announced Zullo has been fired:

“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. We hold our coaches to the highest standards of professionalism, sportsmanship, and respect for our student-athletes, and this behavior is completely unacceptable. 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.”

She continued:

“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.”

Good!

Zullo followed up with an apology for his atrocious behavior, saying:

“I deeply regret my behavior following the loss to LaFargeville Friday night in the Class D state championship game. 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.”

He added:

“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.”

What are YOUR reactions here, Perezcious readers??

[Image via Dinendra Haria/WENN]