Rolovich new job...
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Ex-WSU coach Nick Rolovich, fired after refusing COVID vaccine, hired by Cal
Tim BoothDec. 13, 2024 at 3:50 pm
Updated Dec. 13, 2024 at 5:16 pm
By
Seattle Times staff reporter
Nick Rolovich is set for a return to college football three years after his dismissal at Washington State.
Rolovich was hired Friday as a senior offensive assistant at the University of California, joining the staff of coach Justin Wilcox.
Rolovich has been out of college football since being fired at Washington State midway through the 2021 season for not complying with the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for state employees.
Rolovich was 5-6 in his 11 games in charge of the Cougars during the 2020-21 seasons that were impacted by the pandemic. He was fired after Washington State beat Stanford 34-31 on Oct. 16, 2021, and was replaced by current Cougars coach Jake Dickert.
Rolovich contended he should have been provided a religious exemption to a law requiring state employees to get the vaccine — a requirement that was later rescinded.
WSU contended that Rolovich did not raise religious concerns about the vaccine’s development until the deadline approached to get vaccinated. The school said its denial of an exemption was based on its inability to accommodate his coaching under pandemic-related guidelines and skepticism about the sincerity of his beliefs.
Rolovich filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Spokane against the university that was originally scheduled to go to trial in December. The trial was struck from the court calendar this past summer as both sides filed motions for summary judgment. That is still pending.
Rolovich’s lawsuit originally included specific claims against Gov. Jay Inslee and then-Washington State athletic director Pat Chun. Those were dismissed in 2023.
Rolovich was hired in Pullman as the replacement for Mike Leach when he left to take the head job at Mississippi State after the 2019 season. Rolovich was coming off a 10-win season at Hawaii, where he went 28-27 in his four seasons in charge.
Known for his offensive background and high-scoring teams, Rolovich’s hiring at WSU was seen as a continuation of what Leach created during his tenure on the Palouse.
But the pandemic arrived just a few months after Rolovich was hired and led to a truncated first season in which the Cougars played just four games and the season didn’t begin until November.
His second season became defined by the lingering vaccine debate, which came to light when Rolovich didn’t show up in person for Pac-12 media day in Los Angeles, where a vaccine mandate was in place.
From there his vaccination status clouded the Cougars’ season and whether the school would have to move forward with termination. It finally arrived Oct. 18, 2021, the day Inslee set as the deadline for state employees to be vaccinated or have an exemption.
At the time of his firing, Rolovich was the highest-paid state employee with a contract paying more than $3 million.
Rolovich has long connections in the Bay Area and began his coaching career as an assistant at San Marin High School in nearby Novato. With the Golden Bears, he’ll work on a staff that includes former Boise State and Auburn coach Bryan Harsin, who was hired as Cal’s offensive coordinator this week.
Tim Booth: Tim Booth covers the Kraken and other sports for The Seattle Times. Email him at tbooth@seattletimes.com. On Twitter: @ByTimBooth.
Good for Nick. He made a decision he was willing to live (essentially flipping off Inslee) with and you have to respect him for doing so.
I'll concur with Biggs on this one. I have no respect for him. He was an idiot.
