A high school basketball coach fired for pulling the hair of one of his young female players is facing charges of harassment in the second degree and has been summoned to court by cops.
Jim Zullo, 81, was immediately fired as head coach of the girl’s basketball team at Northville High School when the despicable moment occurred earlier this month.
He has since issued a groveling apology, but Times Union report he has now been issued an appearance ticket and will have to defend himself in court.
Per the Hudson Valley Community College Department of Public Safety, a complaint for harassment was made on Sunday, and ‘peace officers’ met with Zullo on Monday to issue him the appearance ticket.
It has been reported that Zullo will report to Troy City Court at a later date, after which he could face punishment.
In New York, where the alleged offense took place, harassment in the second degree is a violation, not a crime, but Zullo could face up to 15 days in jail if found guilty.
A New York high school basketball coach, Jim Zullo, was fired after pulling his player’s hair
Other potential punishments include up to $250 in fines, and community service.
The incident occurred moments after Zullo’s Northville High School had fallen 43-37 in the New York State Class D championship.
The player who had her hair pulled has been identified as senior Hailey Monroe, who appears to be in tears at the time of the incident.
Zullo makes the hair tug and starts yelling at Monroe – who is believed to be 17 or 18 years of age – before another player, who appears to be Ahmya Tompkins, reportedly Zullo’s niece, gets in between her Northville teammate and head coach.
Zullo then begins to yell at both of them, with both Tompkins and her head coach pointing fingers at one another. None of what was said in the sequence can be heard in the video.
After the video went viral and millions watched it, Zullo spoke out, showing remorse for his actions.
‘I deeply regret my behavior,’ Zullo said in a statement to ABC. ‘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.’
Northville quickly moved to fire Zullo after the incident. Zullo reportedly told News10 ABC that Monroe swore at him after he instructed her to shake hands with the other team. Her response is what allegedly preceded the hair-pulling.
Zullo has now been issued an appearance ticket and could face up to 15 days in jail
Zullo had been a longtime high school basketball coach in upstate New York, initially retiring in 1999 after a 34-year career on the bench.
He came out of retirement in 2023 to lead the Northville girls program, leading the team to back-to-back state-championship appearances. The end of the latter of those two games is when Monroe’s hair was pulled.
‘We hold our coaches to the highest standards of professionalism, sportsmanship, and respect for our student-athletes,’ the district said in a statement. ‘This behavior is completely unacceptable. This individual will no longer be coaching for Northville Central School District.’
The Northville school district also said it would follow up with the affected people involved from its community.