Washington State Coach Might Be Fired Monday As Vax Mandate Deadline Looms

Washington State coach Nick Rolovich could be the team's ex-coach as soon as next week, and it has nothing to do with his successes and failures.

Instead, as usual, it has everything to do with his vaccination status. Washington is implementing a mandate for all state employees that goes into effect Monday. Rolovich doesn't want the vaccine.

That puts him and the school in the type of conundrum that way too many Americans are currently facing. So many are being told to be inoculated ... or lose their paychecks.

Rolovich has requested a religious exemption, but said he has yet to hear back.

"Washington State players have said the issue hasn’t been a big distraction, but water-cooler discussions throughout the state this week surely have focused more on Rolovich’s state of limbo than on the Cougs’ chances against Stanford (on Saturday)," wrote Dale Grummert of the Lewiston (Idaho) Tribune.

Rolovich, 42, has been Washington State's head coach for one and a half seasons. He coached Hawaii from 2016-19.

The Cougars currently sit at 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the Pac-12.