Featured Image Credit: YouTube/CBS6Albany
Topics: Basketball, US News, Sport, Viral
Emily Brown
A new turn of events has emerged for New York basketball coach James Zullo, who was fired after being caught on camera pulling the hair of one of his student athletes after a game.
The footage of Zullo went viral after the incident took place on March 21, when the coach was leading the girls' basketball team for Northville High School during a championship game at Hudson Valley Community College.
In the clip, Zullo could be seen approaching player Hailey Monroe, who seemed emotional after the team lost to La Fargeville, before pulling on her ponytail.
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The seemingly aggressive move caused Monroe's head to snap back, before another player intervened and got between Monroe and Zullo.
As a result of the incident, the Northville Central School District announced that Zullo would 'no longer be coaching for the Northville Central School District'.
"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," it said in a statement.
A few months on, the case has now taken another turn as Monroe has filed a lawsuit against both Northville Central School District and Zullo, claiming the coach displayed aggressive and bullying behavior during the game.
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According to CBS 6, the lawsuit alleges that Zullo yelled and screamed at Monroe before grabbing her hair, and claims the coach has a history of inappropriate, aggressive, and dangerous conduct towards team members, which the Northville Central School District was allegedly aware of.
The school district has been accused of failing to take appropriate action to protect students from physical and psychological abuse.
Monroe and her legal team are seeking damages for the injuries and expenses incurred as a result of the reported assault, with the Northville Central School District and Zullo each given 20 days to respond after being served.
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In a statement to UNILAD, Northville Central School District said: “It is the District’s policy to refrain from commenting on allegations in a complaint. The District is reviewing the complaint and working with our legal counsel and we stand ready to address the allegations when the time to do so is appropriate.”
After the footage of Zullo's actions went viral, the coach issued an apology in which he said he 'deeply regret[s]' his behavior.
"I want to offer my sincerest apologies to Hailey and her family, our team, the good folks at Northville Central Schools and our community," he said in a statement.
"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.
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"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."