Students react to Rolovich ousting
Students mostly supportive of university’s decision; some say football players will grow stronger
COLE QUINN | DAILY EVERGREEN FILE
Nick Rolovich was fired from his position as head football coach on Monday.
October 20, 2021
WSU students are mostly supportive of the university’s decision to fire head football coach Nick Rolovich and four assistant coaches on Monday for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Monday marked the vaccination mandate deadline for state employees, which was announced by Gov. Jay Inslee in August.
Junior Levi Corigliano said he thought it was “very much needed” for Rolovich to be fired.
He said certain exemptions, like medical reasons, make sense but refusing to get vaccinated when everyone else at WSU was forced to is not OK.
“It’s not a very cool thing to do,” Corigliano said. “Because the whole campaign is Cougs keep each other safe. And the fact that he didn’t — I feel like Kirk [Schulz] really did what’s needed.”
Senior Sam Lansky said Rolovich’s ousting was not a surprise because the coach was known for avoiding questions about his vaccination status during press interviews.
He said a rule is a rule, so it was fair Rolovich got fired. But Lansky said he thinks there might be unrest within the football team because of the firing.
“I feel like we might see some protests,” Lansky said. “It might be interesting politically here, but I know athletes are very determined to the game, and I feel like they’re just going to adapt with this change, just as they adapt on the field.”
Nick Rolovich was the highest-paid state employee with a five-year $15.6 million contract.
Freshman Nicholas Huntington said he thought Rolvich should have followed the mandates because he should be a role model as the highest-paid employee in the state unless he wanted to “get the door.”
But Huntington said it is sad that WSU is losing a coach, which might make it harder for the football team to perform.
Huntington said he thought Rolovich would get an extension on his vaccine requirement.
Rolovich applied for a religious exemption, according to The Spokesman-Review.
But not all students are supportive of Rolovich’s removal. Sophomore Lucky Ruona said he thought it was a weird time to fire Rolovich.
If Rolovich was going to be fired, it should have happened at the beginning or end of the season, Ruona said.
He said WSU’s decision has devastated some players of the football team.
“I can understand — because we are an institute of science — why he would get fired,” Ruona said. “Like it’s a standard we have to uphold. I understand, but if I was in charge I probably wouldn’t [fire Rolovich].”
Ruona said he believes the football team will rally together and perform even better than before.
Some students, like Junior Nicholas Rooney, said Rolovich should have been fired long ago.
“We should have [had Rolovich], at the very least, agree that he was going to get the vaccine or not,” Rooney said. “So that way we could look for a coach; we could figure things out way before it was even a problem.”
Rolovich walked out after the WSU Athletics press conference Monday along with assistant coaches Ricky Logo, John Richardson, Craig Stutzmann and Mark Weber who were also all unvaccinated, according to the WSU Athletics press release. Defensive coordinator Jake Dickert will be the new acting head coach.
Editor’s Note: The date on this story has been corrected.
Georgie Boy • Oct 20, 2021 at 2:55 pm
Fascism, plain and simple
Misty Morning • Oct 20, 2021 at 2:43 pm
IF Rolovich had really been a stand up guy, he would have quit of his own volition, when he first heard of the mandate. He must have known, right after the release of the mandate that he wasn’t going to get the shot — he played a bit of a game, stretching the decision out for as long as possible, really causing some friction on campus. His behavior was really very selfish — it really seems that he was only thinking of himself, rather than his position as a role model for many. He also says he could not get the shot because he is a devout Catholic — I cry BS! I am Catholic and every one in my parish has gotten the shot. Once again, Rolovich is simply playing a game, thinking of himself, rather than the upset he is causing.
Shannon • Oct 21, 2021 at 3:24 pm
Misty, have you done a poll on everyone in your parish? Curious which parish you attend. If it is in Pullman, I know that is not the fact and I find it hard to believe that any parish is 100% vaccinated.
I also am Catholic and think the whole thing is BS but for other reasons. I am glad that he stood his ground for whatever reasons he felt important wether it was religious, political or medical.
As far as the Catholic Church and if you think that has some reason his exemption wasn’t granted…the Pope is only Omni benevolent in interpretation of scripture. There have been Popes that have led the Catholic Church astray. We have free will and a moral conscience to decide what we feel is right from wrong.
Yes, two documents released one on January 1, 2021 and Dec 11, 2020 from the USCCB reiterates the ideas stated by the Vatican on their Dec 21, 2021 statement calling on Catholics to make vaccine brand choices that avoid use of vaccines associated with aborted fetal tissue but permits the use of vaccines with remote association with evil as long as there are no alternative vaccines available and the intent is to preserve life.
We now have alternative treatments available. There are many that are proving to shorten the length and severity of the illness.
The Vatican also states “the licit use of such vaccines does not and should not in anyway imply that there is a moral endorsement of the use of cell lines proceeding from aborted fetuses. Both pharmaceutical companies and governmental health agencies are therefore encouraged to produce, approve, distribute and offer ethically acceptable vaccines that do not create problems of consciousness for either healthcare providers or the people to be vaccinated.”
You can interpret that how you will but to me, it says we are “encouraged to get ethically acceptable vaccines”, we have free will to decide wether we consciously believe if it is ethically acceptable. Each of us will face judgement in the end…the Pope won’t face judgement for Rolo, me or any other Catholic. We need to do what we feel is right. Wether he goes to church on a regular basis or not at all is his business not ours.
Nah Fam • Oct 22, 2021 at 8:26 am
A vaccine that only reduces your symptoms and would there for make you more likely to continue to go out while infected seems selfish.
marc • Oct 20, 2021 at 9:26 am
I pray he sues the heck out of wsu and socialist governor Ensley