What needs to happen next with Nick Rolovich
He had a chance to lead and now it’s time to go.
By
Brian Floyd @BrianMFloyd Jul 23, 2021, 1:49pm PDT
Marco Garcia-USA TODAY Sports
As you surely know by now,
Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich will not be at
Pac-12 media day next week after
choosing not to take one of the three safe, effective vaccines that are available. It’s the first real — and certainly most public — repercussion for his decision, and likely just the start of consequences for him and other unvaccinated members of the program, which could include
forfeiting games because of an outbreak.
Rolovich’s only comment on the matter was a
Twitter statement in which he said he has “elected not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine for reasons which will remain private,” and that he “will not comment further” on his decision.
That’s just not good enough. And it is clear now that, one way or another, Nick Rolovich cannot be on the sideline in September — and should not be the coach at Washington State going forward.
[...]
Consequently, Washington State needs to start by suspending Rolovich
immediately. He cannot speak on behalf of the school or as a representative at the present time — and without a suspension, he’s going to be sitting in front of a camera, taking reporters’ questions, next week. His views and decision puts him out of line with the people he reports to and organization he works for and puts all of it at risk. Whether the suspension is paid or not is not my concern.
Furthermore, Rolovich should not coach another game at Washington State. However that happens is fine with me. The university is almost surely examining his contract and looking for cause, as a matter of protecting the school, and at worst
firing Rolovich without cause will cost the university 60 percent of his remaining $2 million a year base salary. The math works out to around $5 million and is, frankly, a fairly university-friendly agreement. This is also subject to mitigation (if he gets another job) in which that number could go down, not up.
The damage Rolovich has done and could continue to do to the university that I, and many of you, graduated from is too great to do anything but act now. He could have been an adult, stepped up and led his team, and gotten vaccinated.
Instead, he needs to go.