Ex-Washington State Coach Nick Rolovich’s Wrongful Termination Lawsuit Dismissed

Rolovich was fired in 2021 for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Former Washington State coach Nick Rolovich’s wrongful termination lawsuit was dismissed by a judge on Tuesday, removing athletic director Pat Chun and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee as defendants, according to KREM’s Patrick Henkels.

Rolovich was fired in October 2021 for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The lawsuit claimed that he had filed for religious exemption with the school, which was denied by Chun. The suit also claims that Chun was hostile toward Rolovich and called him a “con man.”

Judge Tom Rice wrote in his decision that the act of terminating Rolovich’s employment did not qualify as a constitutional violation.

“This Court and many others around the country have consistently found COVID-19 vaccine mandates for state employees are facially neutral and generally applicable, and terminating an employee for failing to comply with a vaccine mandate is a permissible employment action,” Rice wrote, per KXLY’s Melissa Luck.

Rolovich, 44, took the Washington State job ahead of the 2020 season after four years at Hawaii. While his case against Chun and Inslee was dismissed, there are still several counts against the school still pending.