WSU football coach Nick Rolovich fired after refusing to take COVID-19 vaccine

Nick Rolovich arrived to Washington State as a lovable coach known for his outlandish antics and propensity to win. Rolovich is apparently gone after less than two years and 11 games, and will be recognised nationwide as the football coach who lost his job for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Rolovich had requested for a religious exemption to the state's requirement that all state employees get vaccinated by Oct. 18, but his employment at WSU ended on Monday, according to reports.

Rolovich, along with other unvaccinated WSU assistant coaches, was fired for cause, according to several accounts. The storey was first reported by John Canzano of the Oregonian on Monday afternoon.

More information was not immediately available, however ESPN's Kyle Bonagura reported that defensive coordinator Jake Dickert will be named interim head coach.

During Rolovich's 1½ seasons as WSU's coach, the Cougars went 5-6.

But it was Rolovich's contentious attitude on vaccines that defined his tenure, not what happened on the field. His position was diametrically opposed to that of his superiors, WSU President Kirk Schulz and Athletic Director Pat Chun, who believe the immunizations are a safe and effective strategy to prevent COVID-19.

Last week, Schulz told The New York Times, "It absolutely skews the perception of our message." "People pay heed to what the university president, football coach, basketball coach, and athletic director have to say at most campuses - that's just the fact." People look to them for leadership since they are well-known and well-paid. When you have people that are opposed to the path we're taking, it doesn't help."

More than 90% of Washington state government employees have been certified as completely vaccinated, up from 68 percent just a few weeks earlier, according to Gov. Jay Inslee.

Rolovich, who earns $3.2 million a year as the state's highest-paid employee, had the highest profile among the other 10% of employees who were at risk of losing their jobs if they did not comply with the order.

Despite the controversy surrounding Rolovich's employment status, the team has been doing admirably. Washington State won its third straight game on Saturday, all as underdogs, with a thrilling 34-31 victory over Stanford in which the Cougars scored the game-winning touchdown with just over a minute remaining.

The Washington State players showered their coach with Gatorade in celebration, knowing that it could be his final game at the school.

“It means a lot having a coach that, first of all, is a players’ coach and truly understands us,” slotback Travell Harris told reporters after the game. “He’s an outstanding coach. He’s a coach we all love to play for.” 

Now it looks that the club will try to maintain its momentum in the absence of Rolovich.

When Rolovich announced on Twitter on July 21 that he would not be attending Pac-12 media days in person because he would not meet the requirement that participants be vaccinated, his reputation was forever ruined.

“I have elected not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine for reasons which will remain private. … I will not comment further on my decision.”  Rolovich said in the statement.

For the most part, Rolovich kept his word and didn't say anything else. Even after Gov. Jay Inslee declared on Aug. 18 that everyone working in education must be vaccinated as a condition of employment, with an Oct. 18 deadline, he has refused to answer every inquiry regarding the matter.

June Jones, who coached Rolovich as a quarterback at Hawaii, did speak with USA Today, confirming that Rolovich had asked for a religious exemption from the state mandate.

Rolovich said the following after Washington State's 31-24 win over Oregon State on Oct. 9 — just hours after the news about what Jones said was published:

“I’m not terribly happy with the way it happened. I hope no player that I coach has to wake up and feel the way I felt today. I don’t think it was malicious, but that wasn’t a great thing to wake up to, to be honest with you.”  

That was the last word Rolovich had on the subject until after the Cardinal's win over Stanford on Saturday night, when he was asked if he felt he'd be able to keep his position.

The Cougars are 4-3 this season, 3-2 in the Pac-12, and are coming off their biggest win of the season, a 34-31 win over Stanford last Saturday. On Saturday night, they'll play BYU.