Justice Department Backs Football Coach in Suit Against WSU Over Being Fired for Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine Shot

Nick Rolovich

The U.S. Department of Justice has thrown its support behind former Washington State University head football coach Nick Rolovich in his legal fight over being fired for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine shot, arguing that the university failed to adequately protect his religious rights.

In a friend-of-the-court brief filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the Justice Department said Rolovich submitted documentation showing that his objection to the state's COVID-19 vaccine mandate stemmed from sincere Catholic religious beliefs.

Federal lawyers told the court that under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and other federal protections, Washington State University, as a public employer, was required to reasonably accommodate those beliefs unless doing so would impose an undue hardship, according to NCRegister.

The brief contends WSU did not meet that standard when it terminated Rolovich in 2021 after denying his requested religious exemption.

Rolovich was fired on October 18, 2021, after declining to comply with Washington Governor Jay Inslee's emergency proclamation requiring state employees, including university workers, to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

He became one of the first major college football coaches in the country to lose his job over his vaccination status, and his dismissal also covered four assistant coaches who similarly did not meet the mandate, Sports Illustrated reported.

At the time, WSU officials said the university was enforcing the state order consistently and that Rolovich failed to satisfy the conditions for a religious or medical exemption.

After his firing, Rolovich first pursued internal appeals before moving his challenge into the courts.

He ultimately filed suit alleging the university and state officials discriminated against him because of his religion, violated his federal civil rights, and breached his employment contract, which he said should have guaranteed him a substantial portion of his remaining reported $2,000,000 annual compensation and at least $25 million in damages.

A federal judge in the Eastern District of Washington granted summary judgment to WSU in early 2025, ruling the school was justified in firing Rolovich for failing to comply with the vaccine requirement, but he has continued to appeal with support from religious-liberty advocates and now the Justice Department, as per the Associated Press.