College football coach asks court to flag Washington State for religious targeting Ninth Circuit reviews WSU’s firing of coach who sought COVID vaccine exemption

WASHINGTON – Becket attorneys, supported by the Department of Justice, were before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Seattle today urging the court to hold Washington State University (WSU) accountable for firing a college football coach over his request for a religious exemption from the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

In Rolovich v. Washington State University, Nick Rolovich, former head coach of the WSU Cougars, requested a religious exemption from Washington’s vaccine mandate, which was permitted by the state’s rules. In response, WSU denigrated his beliefs and fired him rather than accommodate his beliefs. The firing was part of a premeditated effort by university officials to push Rolovich out over his religious convictions about the vaccine.

“Washington State fired Coach Rolovich halfway through a winning season for exactly one reason: it disliked his beliefs,” said Joseph Davis, senior counsel at Becket and lead attorney for Coach Rolovich. “That’s religious discrimination, plain and simple, and we’re confident the Ninth Circuit will say so.” 

Although a university review panel determined that Rolovich’s religious beliefs were genuine and initially approved the exemption, WSU leadership intervened to reverse the decision. Internal communications revealed a coordinated plan—referred to privately by WSU officials as the “Rolo strategy”—to ensure that Rolovich’s requested religious exemption would be denied. Despite proposed accommodations from WSU’s health and safety staff, the university fired Rolovich in violation of his contract in 2021, citing opposition from donors and supposed harms to WSU’s “brand.” In 2022, Rolovich filed a lawsuit against WSU leadership to hold it accountable for firing him over his religious beliefs. Last year, a federal district court ruled against Rolovich.

With Becket’s help, Rolovich is now seeking justice at the Ninth Circuit. The Department of Justice, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief in Rolovich’s support, also presented argument at today’s hearing, urging the court to properly apply federal law’s protections for religion in the workplace.

“Sidelining a coach for standing by his faith betrays the spirit of college athletics and religious freedom,” said Davis. “The Ninth Circuit should throw the flag on WSU’s unnecessary roughness and protect every American’s right to live and work according to their faith.”

A decision is expected in the coming months. Rolovich is also represented by Eric N. Kniffin of Kniffin Law PLLC.

For more information or to arrange an interview with a Becket attorney, contact Ryan Colby at [email protected] or 202-349-7219. 

Photo by Darryl Oumi via Getty Images