Jim Zullo, a member of the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame and former basketball coach of Northville High School’s girls’ team, has issued a statement apologizing for his behavior at the Class D State Championship final.
To the uninformed, Zullo was seen violently yanking Northville’s star player’s (Hailey Monroe) hair after the latter was seemingly crying following the team’s defeat to La Fargeville. He was fired for his misdemeanor.
Northville High School management, in a post, confirmed the basketball coach’s dismissal in a social media post. It read, “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.”
It continued, “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.”
Offering his “sincerest apologies” to Monroe and her family, Jim Zullo admitted his wrongdoing, saying, “As a coach, under no circumstance is it acceptable to put my hands on a player, and I am truly sorry.” He then expressed his gratitude to the team and his pride, wishing them well as he signed off.
Jim Zullo’s statement read, “I deeply regret my behavior following the loss to La Fargeville 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.”
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“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,” Zullo stated.
