Fired Washington State HC Pursuing Legal Action After COVID Dismissal

Fired Washington State head coach Nick Rolovich will be pursuing legal action against the university after he was let go on Monday due to the Washington COVID-19 mandate.

The mandate was issued in August and gave all state employees till Oct. 18 to get the shot or risk losing their jobs. Rolovich did not comply and is no longer the Cougars' head coach. Rolovich is working directly with his lawyer, Brian Fahling, to file a lawsuit against Washington State athletic director Pat Chun. Rolovich had applied for a religious exemption, which was denied by the university.

“It is a tragic and damning commentary on our culture, and more specifically, on Chun, that Coach Rolovich has been derided, demonized, and ultimately fired from his job, merely for being devout in his Catholic faith,” Fahling wrote in a statement.

"Since at least April, it became clear that Chun had already determined that Coach Rolovich would be fired. Chun’s animus towards Coach Rolovich’s sincerely held religious beliefs, and Chun’s dishonesty at the expense of Coach Rolovich during the past year is damning and will be thoroughly detailed in litigation."

If the judge who presides over this lawsuit has any integrity, then Rolovich should win, given his religious beliefs which should have exempted him from getting the vaccine. It's already ridiculous enough that people are losing their jobs for making a personal choice, but that's where we are.

Rolovich's tenure at Washington State was just turning a corner after a 1-3 pandemic shortened 2020 season. The Cougars are 4-3 this season, coming off three consecutive victories, including a 34-31 win over Stanford last Saturday. None of that seems to matter however, as the school and the state of Washington pulled the plug on Rolovich for standing up for his rights.