Former Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich lost his lawsuit against the university after he was fired for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine during the 2021 season.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice, appointed by President Barack Obama in June 2011, ruled Monday that Washington state could not host Rolovich without undue hardship, including increased travel costs and obstacles to recruiting efforts and fundraising. The university also alleged damage to its reputation.
The university fired Rolovich, along with four assistant coaches, in October 2021 for refusing to comply with a mandate requiring all state employees to be vaccinated. Rolovich filed his lawsuit shortly afterward, alleging that the university conducted an illegal dismissal in part because of the “discriminatory and vindictive behavior” of athletic director Pat Chun.
Rolovich claimed that as a Catholic he was exempt from the state’s vaccination mandate, but his exemption request had been denied.
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Nick Rolovich (AP Photo/Young Kwak/File)
However, Rice found no basis for Rolovich’s objection to the vaccine on religious grounds.
“[Rolovich] “I frequently expressed secular concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine to friends, family, and coworkers,” Rice wrote. “In the thousands of pages of discovery, plaintiff does not invoke a religious objection to the vaccine. This alone is a basis for denying plaintiff’s alleged religious objection.”
After his firing, many of Rolovich’s players spoke out in support of their head coach and the impact he had on their lives.
Former Washington State player and current Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson issued an emotional statement in support of Rolovich shortly after the coach’s firing in October 2021.
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Washington State Cougars head coach Nick Rolovich speaks with officials during the game against the Utah Utes on Sept. 25, 2021, at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. (Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
“This man changed my life in so many ways… A true guy who always stands by what he believes in his heart, he was so pure and a true role model for me and my teammates. He was always the greatest than a dollar sign, which is the only thing you can understand,” Watson wrote on X (then known as Twitter). “Everyone attacks this man day after day as if he wasn’t human or had no feelings. Forcing him to have no friends, all he had was us and all we had was him.”
Former Washington State punter Nick Haberer spoke about the transformative impact Rolovich had on his life that same month.
“It’s crazy to think that a year ago I was back in Australia not knowing what to do with my life and Coach Rolo took a chance on me. He was my coach, my partner and most importantly, my mentor, and he taught me valuable lessons of life that you will always be with me! Haberer wrote in X.
Nick Rolovich (James Snook-USA TODAY Sports/File)
During a November 2022 episode of “The Jason Rantz Show,” Rolovich alleged that in late 2020 and early 2021, Washington State’s athletic director suggested he receive the COVID-19 vaccine in front of the entire football team.
“The AD said, ‘Hey, we’re going to put you on the 50-yard line, we’ll have the team around you, and the doctor will give you the vaccine in front of everyone,'” Rolovich said.
“I said, ‘Of course not. I have no desire to do that.’ I wasn’t going to turn it into a circus.”
Meanwhile, Rice previously issued a ruling that made abortion drugs more accessible. In April 2023, Rice ordered U.S. officials not to make any changes that would restrict access to the abortion drug mifepristone in 17 states led by Democrats who sued over the issue.
While states sued in an effort to expand access to the pill, Rice didn’t go that far. Instead, it prevented the FDA from making changes to access to the drug in the states that sued.
