Washington State University’s football coach Nick Rolovich and four of his assistants were fired after they did not comply with Gov. Jay Inslee’s vaccination mandate, the school said.
"Due to the requirements set forth in Washington Governor Jay Inslee's Proclamation 21-14.1, Nick Rolovich is no longer able to fulfill the duties as the football head coach at Washington State University," said a statement on the school’s website. "In addition, four football assistant coaches, Ricky Logo, John Richardson, Craig Stutzmann, and Mark Weber, are also not in compliance with the proclamation. As a result, Washington State University has initiated the separation process based on the terms of their respective contracts, effective immediately.
"Proclamation 21-14.1, prohibits, 'any state agency from permitting any worker to engage in work for the agency after October 18, 2021, if the worker has not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provided proof thereof to the agency.'"
WSU Director of Athletics, Pat Chun, said: "This is a disheartening day for our football program. Our priority has been and will continue to be the health and well-being of the young men on our team. The leadership on our football team is filled with young men of character, selflessness and resiliency and we are confident these same attributes will help guide this program as we move forward.”
The New York Times said Rolovich had applied for a religious exemption in October. However, the status of his exemption request was not known. The newspaper noted that Monday was the deadline set by Inslee, a Democrat, for state workers to be vaccinated or receive a medical or religious exemption.
Citing a state agency report, the Times said about 90% of workers covered by the mandate had received the vaccine.
The WSU players were told of the firings on Monday night. The team’s defensive coordinator, Jake Dickert, has been named acting head coach.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.