Hall of Fame high school basketball coach pleads guilty to harassment accusation

Jim Zullo, who coached high school basketball for over 40 years, was charged after pulling player’s hair in March

Jim Zullo was confronted by one of his players after he yanked another player's hair following Northville's loss to LaFargeville in the New York State Class D championship game in March. / X/@TVJacksonWang

Jim Zullo, a Hall of Fame boys and girls basketball coach who was at the helm of multiple programs for more than 40 years, pleaded guilty to a harassment charge in court last month.

Assault Followed the Pulling of a Player’s Poneytail

Zullo, 81, faced a second-degree harassment accusation after he pulled the ponytail of one of his players – then-senior Hailey Monroe – following Northville’s 43-37 loss to LaFargeville in the New York State Class D girls basketball championship game in March.

Coach Zullo Was Fired After the Incident

The Northville Central School District fired Zullo soon after the incident. Zullo coached the Falcons for two seasons.

The Times-Union reported that Zullo entered his guilty plea at Troy City Court in July after he initially pleaded not guilty in April.

According to details, Zullo has been ordered to pay $120 in court costs and was issued a conditional discharge of no-contact with Monroe for a year.

Zullo, who now lives in Florida, and his attorney Robert E. Abdella accepted the plea deal after Troy city judge Christopher T. Maier denied a motion for dismissal in May.

Second-degree harassment is a violation in New York. Zullo could receive up to 15 days of incarceration and as much as $250 in fines.

The incident in March was captured on video, which starts with showing Monroe crying and lining up with the team.

Zullo, who stood right behind Monroe, reached out and yanked her by the ponytail and tugged her back. After Monroe moved away, a teammate immediately defended her and expressed displeasure with Zullo’s behavior.

Monroe is Northville’s all-time leading scorer, including boys and girls, with more than 1,000 points.

Zullo provided a statement following the incident:

“I deeply regret my behavior following the loss to La Fargeville in the Class D state championship game. 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.”

Zullo, a 2006 inductee of the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame, won more than 500 games over 40 seasons as a boys basketball coach at Little Falls, Shenendehowa, Broadalbin-Perth and Indian Lake.

The longtime coach guided Northville to back-to-back appearances at the Class D state championship game – with both ending in defeat.

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