A former upstate New York high school women’s basketball player has filed a lawsuit against her former coach and school district after the coach pulled her hair earlier this year, according to the Daily Gazette.
Hailey Monroe, a senior at Northville High School in Northville, N.Y., at the time of the incident, alleges in a lawsuit filed Monday that fired coach Jim Zullo had “a reputation and history of inappropriate, aggressive and dangerous conduct” toward his players, which the school had been notified about, per the report.
“(The district) had been made aware of and knew of defendant James Zullo’s propensity to be inappropriately aggressive towards players on the Northville girls’ basketball team, including (Monroe), and had a long history of both physical and psychological abuse of students both in and out of the Northville Central School District,” the lawsuit reads, according to the paper.
Monroe reportedly is seeking unspecified damages with the lawsuit, claiming she “has been substantially damaged and suffered a monetary loss.”
The shocking situation unfolded in March during the NYSPHSAA Class D championship game when Zullo pulled Monroe’s ponytail after a 43-37 loss to La Fargeville and then yelled at her.
Monroe, the school’s all-time leading scorer, appeared to be crying at the moment, and a teammate stood somewhat between her and Zullo, as seen in the game’s broadcast.
Zullo continued to yell and point at her before he chided the other player.
Zullo told news10.com that Monroe cursed at him after he told her to shake hands with the other team.
“I deeply regret my behavior following the loss to La Fargeville Friday night in the Class D state championship game,” Zullo later said to WNYT. “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.”
He added, “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.”
A broadcast of the game captured the shocking moment, and the school fired Zullo.
“The Northville Central School District is aware of, and deeply disturbed by, the conduct of the Coach of the Girls’ Varsity basketball team during the Class D New York State championship game. We hold our coaches to the highest standards of professionalism, sportsmanship, and respect for our student-athletes, and this behavior is completely unacceptable,” the school said in a statement, per CBS6.
“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.”
Monroe’s family lodged a complaint with Hudson Valley Community College officials — the host of the game — leading to the 81-year-old Zullo being charged with second-degree harassment, per the outlet.
He reportedly pled guilty last month, resulting in a one-year ban from contact with Monroe and a $120 surcharge. His attorney previously told the paper that Zullo moved to Florida.
“He was obviously in the wrong at that moment,” attorney Robert Abdella told the Daily Gazette, “but it should be nothing more than a footnote to what was a great career.”