WSU Football Coach First Vax Mandate Victim in WA State

In a move that could throw the recently hot WSU football team into a state of turmoil, Head Football Coach Nick Rolovich was terminated for "cause" according to sources.

The Cougars were coming off a come-from-behind 34-31 upset of Stanford this last Saturday, and had won 3 games in a row.

Late Monday, word came out that he was dismissed, becoming the highest  paid state employee to go. He was making an estimated $3.2 million annually.

 ROLOVICH FIRST 'VICTIM' OF INSLEE MANDATE

Recently WSU athletic department officials had indicated his stance against the mandate (not  the vaccine) was contradictory to the 'message' the state was trying to send.

Multiple sources say Rolovich was dismissed, leaving behind a 5-6 record in his just over one and a half seasons in Pullman. Rolovich was a popular hire, having turned around a Hawaii program that had fallen on hard times.

He was popular with his players, and the impact on the team will be interesting to watch.  From the beginning, it was clear Rolovich was against the mandate. He indicated he was in favor of personal choice in such important medical decisions.

 WHO WILL RUN TEAM REST OF THE SEASON?

As of this writing no official word from state officials about this, including Gov. Inslee. No official word on which coach will replace him, but reports from the Oregonian say other unvaccinated coaches were also let go.

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When the news of this continues to spread nationally, it will be another embarrassing episode in the long COVID saga that has plagued Washington state.

Numerous speculation abounds that we will start hearing about multiple firings of state workers later this week.

This  move will not wind up on this list, but see some of the greatest moments in sports history below.