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The incident happened in Troy, after Northville High School lost to La Fargeville in the state Class D finals, held at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy on Friday, March 21.
Video broadcast by NFHS showed Falcons head coach Jim Zullo pulling the ponytail of senior Hailey Monroe while appearing to yell at the girl. Another player is seen stepping in between the two as the 81-year-old Zullo then berates the second girl.
In a letter to parents, the Northville Central School District confirmed that Zullo was fired following the incident.
“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 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.”
School administrators planned to “follow up” with the affected players and their families to offer support, the district added.
Zullo was charged with second-degree harassment in connection with the incident, state records show. He is scheduled to appear in Troy City Court on Wednesday, April 9.
The ousted coach apologized for his actions in a statement to Albany NBC affiliate WNYT, saying:
“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. 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.”
It was not immediately clear whether Zullo would face criminal charges. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
Watch video of the incident below:
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