NFL Hall-of-Famer Brett Favre slams high school coach for grabbing player’s ponytail in viral video

A shocking incident in high school basketball has sparked widespread outrage, with former Northville coach Jim Zullo fired for grabbing a player’s ponytail after a championship loss. NFL legend Brett Favre weighed in, applauding the school's swift action.

During the New York Class D state championship game, Northville suffered a tough loss to La Fargeville. However, what happened after the game became an even bigger story.
As the players walked off the court, Jim Zullo was caught on video grabbing senior player Hailey Monroe by her ponytail. The footage quickly went viral, sparking outrage from the public and sports figures alike.

In response to the backlash, Northville School District released a statement emphasizing that they are taking the matter seriously and will be following up with the affected players and their families.
"We assure the public that this matter is being taken extremely seriously, and the District is actively addressing it. 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."

Among those who reacted strongly to the situation was NFL Hall-of-Famer Brett Favre, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice his disapproval. "This one really surprised me. No room for this, and good on the school for acting quickly," Favre posted.

Zullo later defended his actions, claiming that Monroe had directed an expletive at him after he told her to shake hands with the opposing team. However, this explanation did little to change the public’s perception of the incident.
The swift firing of Zullo signals the school district’s zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate behavior toward student-athletes.
In a separate controversy involving Brett Favre, former New York Jets defensive end Mark Gastineau has filed a $25-million lawsuit against ESPN for using footage of his confrontation with Favre without permission.

The encounter, which took place at the Chicago Sports Spectacular event in 2023, stemmed from a long-standing grievance. Gastineau confronted Favre over an infamous moment in 2001, when Favre seemingly took a dive to allow Michael Strahan to break Gastineau’s single-season sack record.
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The footage of this heated exchange was later featured in ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary, The New York Sack Exchange. Gastineau claims that ESPN’s unauthorized use of the clip has subjected him to "ridicule, scorn, and contempt" on social media. He is now seeking $25 million in damages. As of now, ESPN has not commented on the lawsuit.