ROLOVICH FIRED FOR REFUSING VACCINE
Washington State fired football coach Nick Rolovich and four of his assistants on Monday for refusing a state mandate that all employees get vaccinated against COVID-19, making him the first major college coach to lose his job over vaccination status.
Washington
Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, had set a deadline of Monday for thousands of state employees, including the Cougars’ coach, to be vaccinated. Rolovich applied for a religious exemption, which was denied Monday, Washington State Athletic Director Pat Chun said.
Defensive coordinator Jake Dickert will be elevated to acting coach and his first game in charge will be Saturday at home against BYU.
“This is a tough day for Washington State football,” Chun said at a news conference. “Nobody wants to be here.“Also fired for refusing vaccination were assistant coaches Ricky Logo, John Richardson, Craig Stutzmann and Mark Weber.
Chun said there may be no precedent for a team losing its head coach and so many assistants in the middle of a season.
“Our student-athletes are the biggest losers in this,” he said.
Rolovich was not immediately available for comment.
The 42-year-old Rolovich was the highest-paid state employee with an annual salary of more than $3 million in a contract that runs through 2025. He had said he wouldn’t get vaccinated but wouldn’t specify his reasons.
He was the only unvaccinated head coach in the Pac-12 and had worn a mask during games.
Rolovich was fired for cause, which means the university does not have to honor the rest of his contract, although lawsuits over the decision are likely. The Washington State athletic department is currently facing a shortfall of more than $30 million.
Around the country, many college football coaches have publicly advocated for vaccination, including Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Alabama’s Nick Saban. Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin said not getting vaccinated would be irresponsible and bragged about his team being 100 percent vaccinated.
After refusing for weeks to reveal his plans, Rolovich on Oct. 9 confirmed he was seeking a religious exemption to the mandate. He has not specified his religious beliefs.
Chun said he met with Rolovich over a period of several months, but could not change the coach’s mind.
“He was resolute in his stance,” Chun said.
Rolovich needed to prove a sincerely held religious belief that prevented him from getting vaccinated in his exemption application.
The application was put before a committee that reviewed the requests without knowing names of the applicants.
Dickert is in his second season as Washington State’s defensive coordinator and came to Pullman after three seasons at Wyoming.
He has not previously been a head coach.
Chun said the school is looking to hire assistants immediately to fill the vacancies on the staff.
Washington State President Kirk Schulz said nearly 90 percent of WSU employees and 97 percent of students had been vaccinated. Fewer than 50 of some 10,000 employees have sought exemptions, Schulz said.
Notable
Arizona has lost its second quarterback in two weeks to a season-ending injury. Wildcats coach Jedd Fisch said that Gunner Cruz is done for the year after suffering a thumb injury in Saturday’s 34-0 loss to Colorado.
The sophomore is expected to have surgery and will have about a six-month rehabilitation.
Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin isn’t optimistic about quarterback Matt Corral’s availibility against LSU. Corral rushed 30 times for 195 yards in the 12th-ranked Rebels’ 31-26 win over Tennessee, which Kiffin said took a physical toll on the QB.