Nick Rolovich has filed a wrongful termination claim against Washington State University seeking $25 million after he was fired as the school’s football coach last year over a refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The claim was filed on April 27 with the state’s Office of Risk Management on Rolovich’s behalf, per the Seattle Times. A person must wait 60 days to sue after a tort claim is filed. No suit has been filed as of Wednesday, a spokesperson for Attorney General Bob Ferguson told USA Today.
Rolovich, who had three seasons left on a five-year deal, was fired in October, seven games into the Cougars’ season. He was denied a religious exemption from Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for state employees. An appeal from his lawyer in November was denied.
The Cougars went on to win the Sun Bowl under assistant coach Jake Dickert, who was later granted the permanent job.
Rolovich’s $3.2 million annual salary was the highest in Washington State. In two seasons there, he had a record of 5-6.