A high school basketball player whose coach aggressively pulled her hair during a New York championship game has filed a lawsuit alleging assault and a pattern of abusive behavior.
Jim Zullo, 81, was immediately fired as head coach of the Northville High School girls’ basketball team in March after he was caught on video in a furious rant, pulling a player’s hair just moments after the team’s championship loss.
On Monday, the teen, identified as senior Hailey Monroe, filed a lawsuit against both Zullo and the Northville Central School District, as reported by the Daily Gazette.
Monroe is alleging not only aggressive and bullying behavior by Zullo during the game, but also a troubling pattern of similar misconduct – one she says the school was fully aware of.
The lawsuit, obtained by the outlet, first references the violent incident, which went massively viral – garnering millions of views and circulating widely across both social media and national television.
According to the docs, Zullo became enraged following the team’s 43–37 loss in the New York State Class D championship game on March 21.
During his tantrum, the head coach reportedly erupted into a screaming fury at Monroe before violently grabbing and yanking her hair in front of stunned teammates and spectators.
The suit states that this was not an isolated incident, alleging that Zullo has a ‘reputation and history of inappropriate, aggressive, and dangerous conduct’ toward his young team members – including Monroe.
More specifically, he ‘had a long history of both physical and psychological abuse of students both in and out of the Northville Central School District,’ according to the complaint.
The suit further alleges that the school district had already been made aware of Zullo’s tendency to erupt into aggressive episodes, specifically targeting the teenage girls on his team.
Despite allegedly being aware of the ongoing situation, the district failed to take appropriate action to protect its students from the abuse, the suit claims, according to CBS 6 Albany News.
The lawsuit, filed by Monroe’s attorneys at Anderson, Moschetti & Taffany, PLLC, in the Supreme Court of New York, seeks an unspecified amount in damages, according to Daily Gazette.
However, it does note that they are seeking damages for the ‘injuries, expenses, and damages’ resulting from the March assault.
Monroe’s legal team alleges that the coach’s despicable actions, captured on camera, were a result of the district’s negligence, which contributed to the teen’s injuries.
Monroe has also been ‘substantially damaged and suffered a monetary loss’ as a result of the incident following the championship game, her legal team claims, as reported by the Daily Gazette.
Both the Northville Central School District and Zullo have been formally served and now have 20 days to respond to the complaint – or risk a default judgment being issued against them, according to CBS.
At the end of the championship game held at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York, the now-infamous video captured Zullo yanking Monroe’s hair – who was believed to be just 17 or 18 years old at the time.
Moments later, another player – believed to be Ahmya Tompkins, reportedly Zullo’s niece – stepped between Monroe and the coach, appearing to intervene.
Zullo began shouting at both players, as he and Tompkins pointed fingers at each other in a tense exchange – all while Monroe stood nearly frozen, visibly shaken and in tears.
Expert Nicola Hickling, founder of LipReader, revealed to Daily Mail what Zullo said to his players during his rant after reviewing the footage.
According to Hickling, Tompkins wrapped her arm around Monroe to shield her teammate and firmly told the coach, ‘Leave her. That’s not okay.’
Zullo fired back, but Tompkins stood her ground and told him again, ‘No, leave her.’ Enraged, he spun around, leaned in, and snapped, ‘You shut it.’
After the video went viral and drew millions of views, Zullo was swiftly removed from his position. He later spoke out, expressing remorse for his actions.
‘I deeply regret my behavior,’ Zullo said in a statement to ABC. ‘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.’
The former coach later told News10 ABC that Monroe had cursed at him after he instructed her to shake hands with the opposing team – a response he claimed triggered the hair-pulling altercation.
Nevertheless, just days after the incident, Zullo was charged with second-degree harassment and summoned to court.
Last month, he pleaded guilty to the charge and paid a $120 surcharge, according to the Daily Gazette.
As part of the resolution, he was also issued a one-year order of protection, barring him from any contact with Monroe.
