A high school basketball coach who was fired after yanking an athlete's ponytail has issued a formal apology.
Jim Zullo, 81, broke his silence on Sunday following the hair-pulling incident.
The debacle happened on Friday after the Northville Central High School Varsity girls' basketball team lost the title game.
“I deeply regret my behavior following the loss to La Fargeville Friday night in the Class D state championship game,” Zullo said in the statement, which was first obtained by Albany-area television station WNYT. "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. I wish I could have those moments back.”
NTD attempted to contact Zullo directly but he could not be reached.
Zullo's team was on the sideline watching the opposing team celebrate their big win at Hudson Valley Community College in upstate New York.
Monroe, a high school senior, looked to be upset and crying before cameras panned to the opposing team.
Zullo began coaching the girls' varsity team in 2023 and has taken the team to the state final for two seasons. Prior to that, he coached the Shenendehowa High School boys' team and won the state championship in 1987.
His wife urged him to take the job for the girls' team while she battling cancer. She later passed away during the 2023-24 season.
In his apology, Zullo acknowledged the challenges he faced in light of her passing.
“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,” Zullo said. “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.”
"We hold our coaches to the highest standards of professionalism, sportsmanship, and respect for our student-athletes, and this behavior is completely unacceptable," it said. "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."
The school district added that it would be actively addressing the situation and would follow up with affected players and families to provide support and address the actions it will be taking in response to the incident.