Judge sides with Washington State U. in firing coach who refused COVID-19 vaccine

Coach Nick Rolovich, a Catholic, says he should have received a religious exemption

Washington State University had “just cause” to fire head football coach Nick Rolovich for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine, a federal judge ruled Monday.

Rolovich, (pictured) who is Catholic, sued the public institution for discrimination after being terminated in 2021 in the middle of the football season.

However, U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice dismissed the former coach’s claims, saying the university’s decision to terminate his contract had “just cause,” KREM News 2 reports:

Rolovich alleged that WSU had violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) by discriminating against him based on his religious beliefs. He also claimed breach of contract and wage withholding, arguing that WSU lacked just cause for his dismissal.

The court dismissed each of Rolovich’s claims, by granting summary judgment in favor of WSU. In the ruling, the judge stated that Rolovich failed to provide sufficient evidence of a religious objection to the COVID-19 vaccine. The judge noted that Rolovich’s objections appeared to be primarily secular, saying Rolovich did not invoke a religious objection to the vaccine.

”(Rolovich) frequently expressed secular concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine to friends, family members and coworkers,” Rice wrote, according to the Associated Press.

“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 claimed religious objection,” the judge wrote.

When Rolovich was fired, he had worked the first two years of a five-year, $3.2 million contract, and had three more seasons, ESPN reported previously.

Several assistant football coaches also were fired from Washington State University at the same time, The College Fix reported at the time.

Rolovich recently began working as a senior offensive assistant for the California Golden Bears at the University of California, Berkeley.

Most higher education institutions have ended their COVID-19 vaccine requirements, but 20 still had mandates as of July 2024, The Fix reported.

MORE: Football coach files $25M claim after fired for refusing COVID vaccine

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