Washington State University (WSU) football coach Nick Rolovich along with four assistants were fired Tuesday after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. This was Rolovich’s second season as head coach. 

WSU defensive coordinator Jake Dickert will take over as interim head coach effective immediately. 

The four assistants fired included quarterbacks coach Craig Stutzmann, offensive line coach Mark Weber, defensive tackles coach Ricky Logo and cornerbacks coach John Richardson.

Back in July, Rolovich said in a social media post that he would not be getting the vaccine due to personal reasons. However, on Aug. 20, Gov. Jay Inslee authorized Proclamation 21-14.1 that mandated all state employees, which included football coaches, must be either fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct.18 or be granted a medical or religious exemption by that date. 

If any state worker didn’t receive an exemption or wasn’t fully vaccinated by Monday they were prohibited to continue work at their job.

Rolovich was the only head coach in the PAC-12 conference not to be fully vaccinated. 

WSU put out the following statement after the firing was announced:

“Due to the requirements set forth in Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s Proclamation 21-14.1, Nick Rolovich is no longer able to fulfill the duties as the football head coach at Washington State University. In addition, four football assistant coaches, Ricky Logo, John Richardson, Craig Stutzmann and Mark Weber, are also not in compliance with the Proclamation. As a result, Washington State University has initiated the separation process based on the terms of their respective contracts, effective immediately.”

Update: According to ESPN, Rolovich is now suing the University for what he calls “discriminatory and vindictive behavior” by WSU athletic director Pat Chun.