An 81-year-old high school basketball coach in the United States is facing legal trouble after yanking a female player’s hair following a tough championship loss.
Jim Zullo, the former coach of Northville High School’s girls’ basketball team, has been charged with second-degree harassment for the incident, which occurred on Friday (21 March), reported Times Union.
A widely circulated video shows Zullo approaching senior player Hailey Monroe from behind before grabbing her ponytail and yanking her head backward.
Ms Monroe quickly steps away as another player moves in between the two.
Although no audio from the exchange is available, Zullo can be seen talking to Ms Monroe. Her colleague subsequently defends her from Zullo, who turns to the other girl and begins shouting at her instead.
The incident occurred just after Northville High School’s loss to La Fargeville in the finals on Friday.
Both schools are based in New York. Before the incident, several girls can be seen reacting emotionally to the championship loss, with Ms Monroe even crying over the results.
Zullo told News10 that prior to the incident, his victim had “directed an expletive” at him after he told her to shake her opponents’ hands following the match.
He was immediately fired for the incident.
On Sunday (23 March), he apologised publicly and called his behavior unacceptable.
“As a coach, under no circumstance is it acceptable to put my hands on a player, and I am truly sorry,” he said.
Source: Times Union
On Monday (24 March), officers gave Zullo a ticket for him to appear in court.
He faces a second-degree harassment charge, which is a violation and not a criminal offence. The coach could spend as much as 15 days in jail if found guilty.
Zullo has coached the Northville High School girls’ basketball team for the past two years.
He had come out of retirement for the post, having had a very successful career coaching the boys’ team. He was even inducted into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Also read: Woman investigated for sexual harassment after kissing BTS’ Jin at fan hug event
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Featured image from @CBS6Albany on X and Times Union.
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