The coach of a New York high school girls’ basketball team has been fired after footage shows him yanking a player’s ponytail following a lost match.
According to the Northville Central School District, the incident occurred after the team lost to LaFargeville Central School District in the Class D New York State championship game. Officials fired the coach on Friday night (March 21) following the incident.
Videos have gone viral on social media and local television news showing the high school girls’ basketball coach yanking a player’s ponytail. Viewers also see him talking sternly toward her and scolding her while another player tries to separate them. The district in Northville — which sits in Fulton County about 60 miles northwest of Albany — said that it was “deeply disturbed” by the conduct of its coach and that the “individual will no longer be coaching” for the district.
Male High School Coach Fired After Yanking Female Player’s Ponytail, He Claims She Cursed At Him
The district’s statement did not confirm if they fired the high school girls’ basketball coach. However, the District Superintendent Sarah Chauncey did during a phone interview with The New York Times. On Saturday (March 22), Chauncy said that the coach’s “service with the district has been terminated.” During the call, Chauncy declined to confirm the identities of both the coach and his player.
However, MaxPreps, a website that tracks high school sports rosters, identified the head coach for the team as Jim Zullo. Zullo later spoke with News10 ABC about the filmed hair-yanking incident. News10 ABC also identified the female player as high school senior Hailey Monroe. Zullo claimed Monroe cursed at him when he instructed her to shake hands with the opposing team after their loss. At the end of the game, Northville lost the title game to La Fargeville 43-37, a six-point loss.
New York School District Speaks After High School Coach Yanks Player’s Ponytail
The school district posted a statement on their website, which reads:
“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.
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.”
Hudson Valley Community College’s Department of Public Safety also released a statement on the incident. The department said that it is aware of the situation. They added, “The incident is currently under investigation by HVCC Peace Officers and Investigators in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies.”
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