At an unprecedented time, Washington State made an unprecedented decision. On Oct. 18 of 2021, the school fired head coach Nick Rolovich for failing to comply with the vaccine mandate after going 5-6 over two seasons as head coach. He was in the second year of a five-year contract with the Cougars. Along with Rolovich, four other position coaches were also let go for similar reasons.
Rolovich attempted to get a religious exemption from Washington’s governor, yet it was unsuccessful.
Rolovich’s lawyer filed an appeal with the university, which was ultimately denied.
It was revealed last August that the former head coach was suing Washington State for $25 million under a wrongful termination claim.
It is unclear when this lawsuit will get resolved.
“I want to thank Athletic Director Pat Chun and his staff for keeping the health and wellbeing of our student-athletes front and center as we navigate this needed change,” Washington State’s President Shultz said after the firing. “Washington State University has been clear from the beginning that vaccines and masks are important tools to help us return to in-person learning…”
Anyone can see that this distraction is one of the last things Washington State and the Pac-12 need. This rings especially true for a school like Washington State, which isn’t commonly at the top of the Pac-12 hierarchy.
Jake Dickert now serves as the Cougars’ head coach and seems to be handling the situation well. His team knocked off the 19th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers in week two.
The Ducks will travel to Pullman, Washington to compete on the gridiron against the Cougars on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 1 p.m.
