‘Jaw on floor’: High school basketball coach fired after yanking girl’s hair

There has been widespread outrage after a veteran basketball coach was caught committing an ugly act in vision that has gone viral.

A New York high school girls basketball coach was fired after a caught-on television postgame incident where he was busted yanking a player’s hair after the team’s loss on Saturday (AEDT).

In a now-viral video, longtime Northville High School coach Jim Zullo, 81, approaches the team’s star player Hailey Monroe, who appears to be crying after the game, reaches out and violently pulls her ponytail, before yelling at her.

Monroe then appears to try to get away from the coach, as he continues berating her as another player tries to get him to stop.

You can watch the viral clip in the video player above.

Coach Zullo continues berating Monroe after he yanked her hair. Photo: News10/NFHS Network.

The Northville Central School District has announced the firing of high school girls basketball coach Jim Zullo, The New York Post reports.

“My jaw was on the floor. They’re high school girls for crying out loud,” said Alyssa Leroux, who shared a video of the broadcast.

Monroe, a high school senior, had fouled out of the game before the shocking assault, WRGB reported. She was the all-time leading scorer.

American social commentator Colin Rugg on X “congratulated” the teammate for standing up to the “thug” coach.

The incident at Hudson Valley Community College was broadcast on television. Photo: News10/NFHS Network

The Northville Central School District said it was “deeply disturbed” by what happened.

“This behaviour is completely unacceptable,” it said in a letter shared Friday.

“This individual will no longer be coaching for the Northville Central School District. The district will be following up with the affected players and their families to provide support and outline the actions we are taking in response to this incident.”

Zullo told News10 ABC that Monroe swore after he told her to go shake the other team’s players hands following Northville’s loss, leading to the hair grab.

— This story originally appeared on The New York Post and has been republished with permission

Originally published as ‘Jaw on floor’: High school basketball coach fired after yanking girl’s hair