Nick Rolovich fired as football coach at Washington State after refusing vaccine under state mandate

Washington State University confirmed on Monday that it had fired football coach Nick Rolovich for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine in violation of a state mandate.

Four assistant coaches were also fired for not complying with the mandate, USA Today reported. Defensive tackles coach Ricky Logo, assistant head coach John Richardson, co-offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann and offensive line coach Mark Weber were all also fired.

Defensive coordinator Jake Dickert will now act as interim head coach.

In August, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) issued a proclamation requiring all state employees to get vaccinated by Oct. 18. As an employee of a public university, the coaches for the Washington State Cougars were subject to the proclamation.

Employees were required to either show proof of full vaccination by the deadline or submit a religious or medical exemption. Rolovich had submitted a religious exemption, USA Today noted.

Rolovich had been hired at WSU less than two years ago, with his contract running until June 2025.

In a statement to USA Today, WSU athletics director Pat Chun said, “This is a disheartening day for our football program.”

“Our priority has been and will continue to be the health and well-being of the young men on our team,” said Chun. “The leadership on our football team is filled with young men of character, selflessness and resiliency and we are confident these same attributes will help guide this program as we move forward.”