Former Washington State head coach Nick Rolovich has sued his former employer as well as Washington governor Jay Inslee for breach of contract, discrimination and wrongful withholding of wages, as well as violations of the Civil Rights Act and the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Rolovich was fired, along with four assistants, midway through the 2021 season for refusing to comply with the state's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Rolovich cited his Catholic faith as a reason for a religious exemption; the school denied his request for an exemption as well as two appeals.
Rolovich filed a claim in April saying he intended to sue for $25 million, but the suit filed last week in Whitman County, Wash., did not cite a specific dollar figure.
“Washington State University carried out the Governor’s COVID-19 vaccination proclamation for state employees in a fair and lawful manner, including in its evaluation of employee requests for medical or religious exemptions and accommodations. For multiple reasons, Mr. Rolovich did not qualify, and the university firmly stands by that decision,” Washington State said in a statement.
Rolovich, who was 5-6 when he left Wazzu and went 28-27 in four seasons at Hawaii, has not coached at the college level since his firing. He has generally kept a low profile over the last 13 months, but has peeked his head out of late. In September he granted an interview to The Daily Wire, and on Oct. 28 Rolovich sent his first tweet since announcing in July 2021 he would not attend the Pac-12 media days due to that event's vaccine mandate.