Nick Rolovich, the head football coach at Washington State University (WSU), has been fired for refusing to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The university also dismissed four of his assistant coaches for failing to comply with a state vaccine mandate.
The mandate, imposed by Washington Governor Jay Inslee in August, requires all state employees to be fully vaccinated or face losing their jobs. Rolovich, who earned $3.1 million annually, had applied for a religious exemption, but it was denied by WSU's athletic director, Pat Chun.
Chun described the situation as a 'disheartening day for our football programme,' adding that the priority remains the health and wellbeing of the team. Rolovich had previously stated that getting vaccinated was a personal decision and declined to comment further.
Rolovich is the first major college football coach to lose his job over vaccination status. Approximately 90% of WSU employees and 97% of students have been vaccinated. College football generates substantial revenue, with the sport netting nearly $19 billion in 2019.
