Then there are some like Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving who may have less of a clue than the former President.
You might start to lump now-former Washington State head football coach Nick Rolovich into whatever territory Irving is occupying.
Rolovich was fired on Monday, after refusing to be vaccinated against Covid. The state of Washington instituted a mandate requiring all state employees be vaccinated if they are not working remotely. Rolovich, 42, refused every time he was warned as the deadline approached. Four members of Rolovich’s staff were also terminated for refusing to comply.
Even going back to Pac-12 media day in July, Rolovich indicated he would not be getting any shots to protect himself or those around him.
The Cougars are currently 4-3, just a game out of first place in the Pac 12 North Division. The conference title could have come down to their matchup in Eugene against Oregon in three weeks.
Rolovich will be forfeiting $3.2 million in annual salary after being terminated less than 18 months into a five-year $18.2 million contract.
Rolovich made headlines in August 2020 when it was alleged he threatened wide receiver Kassidy Woods after Woods opted out of playing the 2020 season due to the pandemic. Now Rolovich not only did not opt out, but is trying to pass off that there is nothing wrong.
Reported by ESPN this morning, Rolovich plans to sue the university over the termination. However, Rolovich is the highest-paid state employee in Washington and sought a religious exemption as cause for not being injected. The former coach alleged his exemption was granted, while WSU athletic director Nick Chun indicated the request was denied. Rolovich is claiming that Chun used the vaccine as a ploy mired in “discriminatory and vindictive behavior,” per ESPN.
New interim coach Jake Dickert tweeted a photo in May showing him receiving his second shot. In hindsight, maybe Rolovich could have learned from his assistants, rather than the other way around. At the very least he would still have a very lucrative job.
Rolovich is the first head coach at either the professional or NCAA Division I-A level to be terminated over refusal of vaccination. A handful of assistants in the NHL and NFL have been terminated with cause for the same reason. This is why the NHL is touting that all but four players league-wide are fully inoculated, while the NBA is reporting a 95% rate among players.
San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane was suspended a quarter of the season for providing a fake vaccination card in the face of his own refusal. Irving is reported to either sit out the entire season, or retire if he ends up being traded as a direct result of his own delusion of grandeur.
Rolovich originally indicated in August that he would follow the mandate and be vaccinated. To date, he has not provided any reasoning as to why the sudden about-face and continued refusal. While he claimed religious or personal reasons, specifics have not been given.
I understand and respect Rolovich’s privacy if he understands he has a moral and just obligation to the terms of his contract and the safety of his players.
The most surprising part of this whole thing to me is that Rolovich was complying with every recommendation while the pandemic is ongoing. He gave a recruit a virtual tour of the campus at Pullman with a camera strapped to his helmet while on a bike. He routinely has a face covering on while patrolling the sideline during games.
But hey, at least his termination found its way into Stephen Colbert’s monolog last night, so that’s something, right?
-JC24