To continue coaching, Rolovich needed to receive the religious exemption and also to have Chun determine that Rolovich could do his job while keeping the public safe. The application was put before a committee that reviewed the requests without knowing names of the applicants. Rolovich needed to prove a sincerely held religious belief that prevented him from getting vaccinated in his exemption application.
“He was resolute in his stance,” Chun said. He has not specified his religious beliefs.Ĭhun said he met with Rolovich over a period of several months, but could not change the coach’s mind. 9 confirmed he was seeking a religious exemption to the mandate. He said in mid-August that he intended to follow the new mandate requiring vaccinations for every state employee but repeatedly declined to say how.Īfter refusing for weeks to reveal his plans, Rolovich on Oct. Rolovich revealed in July that he would not get vaccinated and couldn’t attend Pac-12 media day in person because of it. He finishes with a 5-6 record at the Pullman campus in southeastern Washington. Washington State has won its past three games and is 4-3 this season, including a 34-31 win over Stanford last Saturday. Rolovich was hired from Hawaii two years ago, after Mike Leach left for Mississippi State, and led Washington State to a 1-3 record in the Pac-12 in a 2020 season cut short because of the pandemic. Unlike last season, when COVID-19 cases swept through major college football, postponing and canceling games weekly, no games have needed to be rescheduled because of a COVID-19 outbreak. Many coaches have talked about their teams’ high vaccination rates, though schools are not under any obligation to share those numbers. Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin said not getting vaccinated would be irresponsible and bragged about his team being 100% vaccinated. The Washington State athletic department is currently facing a shortfall of more than $30 million.Īround the country, many college football coaches have publicly advocated for vaccination, including Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Alabama’s Nick Saban. 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.
He was the only unvaccinated head coach in the Pac-12 and had worn a mask during games. He had said he wouldn’t get vaccinated but wouldn’t specify his reasons.
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. Rolovich was not immediately available for comment. “Our student-athletes are the biggest losers in this,” he said. Chun said there may be no precedent for a team losing its head coach and so many assistants in the middle of a season. Also fired for refusing vaccination were assistant coaches Ricky Logo, John Richardson, Craig Stutzmann and Mark Weber.
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