A high school basketball coach has issued a grovelling apology after he was fired for yanking one of his players by the hair.
Jim Zullo, 81, watched on as his Northville High School side suffered a 43-37 loss to La Fargeville in the New York State Championship.
However, the match was overshadowed by a disgraceful incident in the closing stages when Zullo aggressively pulled the hair of senior Hailey Monroe.
Monroe, who had been fouled out of the game, appeared to be in tears as Zullo continued to berate the player. One of her teammates then appeared to intervene, confronting the coach as the pair exchanged words.
And after the incident swiftly went viral, Northville Central School District released a swift statement condemning the ‘unacceptable’ act and firing the coach.
It read: ‘We hold our coaches to the highest standards of professionalism, sportsmanship, and respect for our student-athletes.
‘This behavior is completely unacceptable. This individual will no longer be coaching for Northville Central School District.’
After the game, Zullo told local news outlet NEWS10 ABC that the incident occurred after Munroe directed an expletive towards him when he instructed her to shake hands with the opposing team.
But the veteran coach has now released a lengthier statement to apologise for the shocking act.
‘I deeply regret my behavior following the loss to La Fargeville Friday night in the Class D state championship game,’ he said.
More Trending
‘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.’
Prior to his role at Northville, Zullo spent 26 years as the head coach of the Shenendahowa boys basketball team and led them to a state title in 1987. He was inducted into the state Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
