NORTHVILLE, N.Y. (WTEN) — A New York basketball coach, fired after pulling a player's ponytail following a loss in the girls basketball state championship, has apologized for his actions. High school girls basketball coach Jim Zullo was fired by the Northville Central School District on Friday following the postgame incident. Northville lost to La Fargeville, 43-37, during the Class D New York State championship game at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy. On the NFHS Network's online stream, Zullo was seen pulling the hair of a senior player as the team waited for the medal presentation. While speaking with Nexstar's WTEN, Zullo accused the player of directing an expletive toward Zullo after he instructed her to shake hands with the opposing team, leading to the incident. The girl's family did not immediately provide a response when WTEN reached out for comment. In a statement shared with local media, Zullo, 81, said he regretted his behavior and offered apologies to the player, her family, the team, the district, and the community. Passenger says United pilot forcibly removed him from plane’s bathroom. Now he is suing "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.” Northville Central School District said in a statement on its website that it was "aware of, and deeply disturbed by" Zullo's conduct. "We hold our coaches to the highest standards of professionalism, sportsmanship, and respect for our student-athletes, and this behavior is completely unacceptable." The statement continued, noting Zullo would "no longer be coaching" for the district and that it was "actively addressing" the situation. Hudson Valley Community College's Department of Public Safety also released a statement on the incident. The department said that it is aware of the situation. "The incident is currently under investigation by HVCC Peace Officers and Investigators in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies," the agency's statement read. No additional information was available. Zullo coached at Northville for the past two seasons and took the team to the state final in each of those years. He was a highly successful boys coach in the state for decades, winning a state championship with Shenendehowa High in 1987, before beginning to coach girls in Northville in 2023. He took the Northville job, in part, at his wife's urging while she was dying of cancer. His wife died during the 2023-24 season. “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,” Zullo said. "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.” The Associated Press contributed to this report. ...read more read less