Packers Legend Brett Favre’s Strong Stance Against High School Coach’s Yanking Incident After Northville Central School District Fired Jim Zullo

The world watched in disbelief as chaos unfolded during the high school basketball semi-final game between LaFargeville and Northville Central. The incident sent shockwaves through the sports community, sparking heated debates and widespread criticism. In the aftermath, coach Jim Zullo found himself at the center of intense backlash, with fans, analysts, and former athletes weighing in on the controversy. And, of course, Packers icon Brett Favre was no exception—he wasted no time sharing his thoughts on the situation.

It was a 2025 NYSPHSAA Class D Girls semi-final game between Northville Central School District and the LaFargeville girls’ basketball team at the Hudson Valley Community College. Though LaFargeville won the game 43-37, a shocking incident on the Northville side has shocked everyone. Brett Favre also reacted to the incident: “This one really surprised me. “No room for this, and good on the school for acting quickly.” We will explore what’s the quick action the Northville Central School District took after the incident, but first let’s see what happened.

Well, in the last minute of the semifinal game, with Northville trailing 43-37 on the scoreboard, it was confirmed that the team had no chance of winning the championship. But because of some plays by one of the players, the head coach of the Northville team couldn’t hold himself from yanking the player’s ponytail. The girl seemed shocked and terrified after the coach’s rude behavior in front of teammates and the entire arena. In fact, one teammate bravely defended the player directly confronting the head coach.

This nonsensical behavior by the high school coach has stirred the internet. People are perfectly describing the fact that there is a difference between tough coaching and crossing the line. And guess what? A few hours after the video clip of that yanking incident went viral on social media, Northville Central School District took a quick and firm decision that will serve to prevent coaches and anyone else from doing such stuff in the future. 

Brett Favre reacted after Northville fired the girls’ basketball coach

Following the incident, the Northville Central School District fired Jim Zullo, the girls’ basketball team coach. A renowned reporter, Collins Rugg, wrote on his X page: “High school basketball coach fired after yanking a girl’s ponytail following their loss in the New York Class D state championship game.” And everyone, including Brett Favre, is clapping for the school’s decision. What if the board didn’t take such action?

It could have sent an indirect message to the coaching industry that the head coach is immune despite such despicable incidents. The Northville Central School District has said, “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.” That’s a great decision. 

Speaking of the (former) coach of the Northville Central School District, Jim Zullo is an 81-year-old veteran basketball coach with more than 500 career wins. In his 40 years of coaching, Zullo has led teams at Little Falls, Shenendehowa, Broadalbin-Perth, and Indian Lake. The state’s Basketball Hall of Fame inducted him in 2006. But that doesn’t mean his actions can be justified or excused in any manner.

This terrible yanking incident has overshadowed his four decades of coaching. After Brett Favre highlighted the incident with his take, some analysts argued that if the coach behaves like this in front of a packed crowd, one can only imagine his coaching style behind closed doors. Kudos to the school board for making their stance clear that such behavior will not be tolerated, no matter who does it.