A high school basketball coach has been fired after he got angry and pulled an athlete’s ponytail during a state championship game Friday.
The Northville Central School District in Fulton County, New York, said in a statement that they are “deeply disturbed” by the varsity girls basketball coach’s conduct.
“We hold our coaches to the highest standards of professionalism, sportsmanship, and respect for our student-athletes, and this behavior is completely unacceptable,” the statement reads. “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.”
The postgame incident was caught on camera and soon spread on social media. In the video, the Northville High School coach pulls the player’s ponytail, while another player defends the athlete and tries to keep the coach away from her. The coach, who has been identified as Jim Zullo, told News10 that the player directed an expletive toward him after he told her to shake hands with the opposing team.
A number linked to Zullo has seemingly been disconnected.
The district said in its statement that the matter is being taken “extremely seriously.”
“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,” the statement reads.
