Former University of Hawaii head football coach Nick Rolovich is now the former head football coach at Washington State University as well.
Rolovich did not meet the state of Washington’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for educational workers, which had Monday set as the deadline on Aug. 18. Rolovich did not receive a COVID-19 vaccine, nor was his application for a religious exemption approved.
All the latest sports news from Hawaii’s sports station
On July 21, Rolovich announced on his personal Twitter account that he has chosen not to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. It remains his most recent public activity on social media as of Monday morning.
Monday was the deadline to meet a mandate where educational employees in the state of Washington either must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be approved for a medical or religious exemption.
Rolovich has yet to provide a specific reason for why he has not received a COVID-19 vaccine. However, following Washington State’s victory over Oregon State on Oct. 9, he confirmed a USA Today report that he was seeking a religious exemption. Rolovich grew up in a Catholic household and graduated from Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield, Calif.
As per the mandate, Rolovich’s application was reviewed by a blinded committee, meaning those who looked at Rolovich’s plea for a religious exemption did not know the identity of the applicant in order to ensure an unbiased process.
Rolovich was named the head coach for the Washington State football team on Jan. 13, 2020. Prior to that, he was the head coach at Hawaii from 2016 to 2019, leading the Rainbow Warriors to a 28-27 mark in that span. His WSU tenure ends at 5-6, meaning his career record as a head coach is currently 33-33.
Rolovich was a quarterback for UH from 2000 and 2001 and was a student assistant in 2003 to 2004. Form 2008 to 2011, he was an assistant coach under Greg McMackin.
The 2021 Washington State football team is currently 4-3 and plays against BYU on Saturday.
