Every member of the Northville High School girls basketball team felt their dream of a championship slipping away at the end of their Class D state final.
The team faced defeat against La Fargeville at Hudson Valley Community College on March 21 and team members showed their strong emotions during the medal ceremony.
During medal presentation the senior basketball player Hailey Monroe showed clear sadness as the team formed a line on the court.
No one predicted what occurred even as they watched the broadcast of this event.
At the age of 81 head coach Zullo surprised his team when he pulled the ponytail of senior player Monroe.
The surprise made her stand back as she could not understand what happened.
The situation between Zullo and Monroe changed from a tense moment into a major controversy through the online sharing of a recorded video.
When she noticed the coach abusing Monroe teammate Ahmya Tompkins jumped between them filled with rage.
Although the video showed the encounter as brief and quiet most people still want to know what was being said when they faced each other.
The mystery behind what happened between the two would be solved soon.
Professional lip reader Nicola Hickling examined the video to figure out what occurred in the covert exchange which has gained substantial public attention.
The coach stopped assaulting the victim when Tompkins approached and ordered him to leave. That’s not okay.”
But Zullo reportedly continued berating Monroe, prompting Tompkins to repeat herself more firmly: “No, leave her.”
At that point, Hickling claims, Zullo snapped back at Tompkins, saying: “You shut it.”
As more people learned the lip reader’s findings they joined others in expressing strong opposition.
The public outcry from different communities to fire Zullo started moments after the video spread across social media platforms.
The Northville Central School District reacted officially through a public statement as soon as the video went viral.
In their statement, they said they were “deeply disturbed” by the coach’s actions and emphasized their commitment to maintaining integrity, sportsmanship, and respect in school athletics.
Authority figures made sure Zullo no longer coaches anywhere in the school due to his termination.
After retiring in 1987 Zullo returned to the court at age 65 to begin coaching Northville girls basketball where before he won state championships at Shenendehowa in 2006.
He decided to return from retirement and led the Northville girls but achieved two championship appearance results.
His long coaching history was damaged by this occurring event.
In his official discharge announcement Zullo admitted his wrong actions then apologized.
“I deeply regret my behavior following the loss to La Fargeville Friday night in the Class D state championship game,” he said.
“I want to offer my sincerest apologies to Hailey and her family, our team, the good folks at Northville Central Schools, and our community.”
Every coach must avoid physical contact with his players and I am deeply sorry for my action. I want to get these occasions in my past.
He celebrated his team’s performance since he felt no shame regarding the recent events.
Every single young lady here makes me extremely proud of their achievements. I am confident that each player will reach success and I hope everything goes well for them.
Players and their fans now discuss with government bodies how coaches should handle student-athletes while also deciding on a better team culture.
Despite the 20-second video many negative effects became permanent.
Feature Image Credit: (Youtube/ABC 7 Chicago)