Washington State’s Head Football Coach Has Been Fired After Refusing To Get Vaccinated

You now have to add Washington State’s head football coach to the list of people who have been fired for exercising their personal freedoms.

Nick Rolovich the Washington State Cougars head football coach was terminated for not following the state of Washington’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate.

Rolovich who is 4-3 as the coach this year for the Cougars was not the only coach that was canned for not getting vaccinated but four assistant coaches were also terminated.

The former Washington State football coach previously asked for an exemption but was denied by the University to obtain one.

Breaking: Nick Rolovich is out as the Washington State football coach after refusing to become vaccinated for COVID-19, a requirement for all state employees.

First reported by The Oregonian and confirmed by ESPN. pic.twitter.com/qXu21pAY4u

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 19, 2021

Breaking News: Washington State University is said to have fired its football coach, Nick Rolovich, and four of his assistants for failing to comply with the state's vaccine mandate. https://t.co/DZhDCnlRAs

— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 19, 2021

NBC News had more on the story:

Washington State University fired its head football coach after he refused to get vaccinated against Covid-19, the school said Monday.

Coach Nick Rolovich, whose salary of $3.1 million made him the highest-paid public employee in Washington, was fired as a state Covid vaccination mandate was set to go into effect requiring health care workers, public employees and others to get inoculated.

“This is a disheartening day for our football program,” the university’s director of athletics, Pat Chun, said in a statement. “Our priority has been and will continue to be the health and well-being of the young men on our team.”

Four assistant coaches were also fired for noncompliance with the mandate, the school said in a statement. Defensive coordinator Jake Dickert will replace Rolovich as acting head coach.

BREAKING: Washington State fires head football coach Nick Rolovich and four assistants for refusing to embrace vaccine mandate. RT IF YOU THINK THE SCHOOL MADE THE RIGHT DECISION!

— Occupy Democrats (@OccupyDemocrats) October 19, 2021

CBS got the scoop too:

Washington State Football Coach Nick Rolovich has been fired for refusing to comply with the state’s vaccination mandate.

Rolovich entrenched himself as the only unvaccinated head coach in the Pac 12 conference this summer when had first announced that he would not be getting vaccinated by the state of Washington’s Oct. 18 deadline, mandated for all educational employees in the state.

The Cougars coach, who earned $3 million a year, had reportedly sought a religious exemption.

“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 athletic director Pat Chun in a statement, obtained by CBS Sports.