Washington State Fires Football Coach Over Vaccine Refusal

Rolovich stands to lose more than $9 million because Washington State is firing him for cause. He has two weeks to file an appeal with a university committee.

Chun said the biggest losers on Monday were the players, who have coped with the upheaval of the pandemic and will now be playing for their third coach — the defensive coordinator, Jake Dickert, was named interim coach — in three seasons.

“It’s a tough day for Washington State football,” Chun said. “Nobody wants to be here. I have a lot of empathy for the young men in that locker room.”

Rolovich’s resistance frustrated campus leaders, including Schulz, who has strongly encouraged students to be vaccinated. Fans at the last two home games have been required to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative coronavirus test in order to be admitted, a policy the university developed in conjunction with the University of Washington and the Seattle Seahawks.

Starting next month, Washington State students who aren’t vaccinated will not be allowed to register for classes in the spring semester.

“Certainly we’ve been in the national media again and again and again over Coach Rolovich’s particular stance on vaccines and his personal decision whether or not to be vaccinated,” Schulz said. “It would be naïve of me to say this wasn’t affecting the perception of Washington State University with prospective students, with donors, with lots of people around.”

As Monday approached, the drama around the deadline intensified — fueled in part by the Cougars’ three-game winning streak, which gave them a 4-3 overall record with five games left and kept them in contention for the Pac-12 Conference North Division title. The team is scheduled for a home game against Brigham Young on Saturday.