Nick Rolovich’s lawsuit against Washington State University seeks $25 million over his October 2021 firing for refusing to comply with the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. A federal judge in the Eastern District of Washington granted WSU summary judgment in January 2025, ending the case at trial court. Rolovich appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which heard oral arguments on June 10, 2026, and is expected to rule within several months.
What Rolovich Is Suing Over
Rolovich was hired as WSU’s head football coach in January 2020 on a five-year, $3.2-million-per-year contract that made him the highest-paid state employee in Washington.1ESPN. Nick Rolovich, Former Washington State Football Coach, Files Wrongful Termination Claim In August 2021, Governor Jay Inslee issued Proclamation 21-14, requiring state employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 18, 2021, with no testing alternative. Workers could apply for religious or medical exemptions, but employers weighed whether accommodation would cause undue hardship.2Washington Governor’s Office. Proclamation 21-14 – COVID Vaccination Requirement Rescission
Rolovich sought a religious exemption citing his Catholic faith. WSU denied it, and on October 18, 2021, the university fired him for cause, making him the first major college football coach in the country to lose his job over vaccination status.3BBC. Covid: Washington State Football Coach Nick Rolovich Fired Over Vaccine
How WSU handled the exemption is the heart of the dispute. Rolovich’s lawyers at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty allege that a WSU review panel initially approved his exemption after a blind review, and that university leadership then reversed that decision because of donor pressure and worries about the school’s “brand.” Becket points to internal communications it says referred to a coordinated “Rolo strategy” to ensure denial, and claims health and safety staff proposed accommodations that were ignored.4Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. College Football Coach Asks Court to Flag Washington State for Religious Targeting WSU tells a different story: nearly 80% of the more than 400 religious exemption requests at the university were denied, and Rolovich’s application was denied at the initial blind-review stage rather than approved and overturned.5Yahoo Sports. As the Pope and Church Have Argued for COVID-19 Vaccines, Fired Coach Nick Rolovich WSU also argued no workable accommodation existed for a head coach whose job demands constant close contact with players, staff, donors, and media.
The Claims and Who Was Dismissed
Rolovich filed suit on November 14, 2022, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington (case number 2:22-cv-0319-TOR). The 32-page complaint named WSU, Governor Inslee, and Athletic Director Pat Chun, and brought eight counts including breach of contract, wrongful withholding of wages, religious discrimination under Title VII and the Washington Law Against Discrimination, and First and Fourteenth Amendment violations. A tort claim filed earlier had signaled $25 million in damages.6ESPN. Ex-Washington State Coach Nick Rolovich Files Suit Over Firing
On May 30, 2023, Judge Thomas O. Rice dismissed Inslee and Chun. Rolovich did not contest Inslee’s dismissal. As for Chun, the court found that WSU’s president made the final termination decision and that Chun’s role in the exemption process was required by university policy. Judge Rice also observed that Rolovich had not raised religious objections to anyone until August 2021, after being told he would need to comply, so “any allegations of coercion prior to that date cannot support a free exercise claim.” The court held that vaccine mandates for state employees are “facially neutral and generally applicable” and that firing an employee for noncompliance is a “permissible employment action.”7The Athletic. Nick Rolovich Vaccine Lawsuit Partially Dismissed
Three sets of claims survived against WSU: breach of contract, wrongful withholding of wages, and religious discrimination under Title VII and the Washington Law Against Discrimination.8MyNorthwest. Rolovich Lawsuit Against WSU Late 2024 Trial Date
Why the District Court Threw It Out
On January 6, 2025, Judge Rice granted WSU’s motion for summary judgment and denied Rolovich’s cross-motion. The ruling rested on two independent grounds.9Pacifica Law Group. Client WSU Beats Rolovich COVID-19 Vaccine Lawsuit
First, the court found Rolovich had not established a genuine religious objection to the vaccine. Judge Rice wrote that across thousands of pages of discovery, Rolovich “does not invoke a religious objection to the vaccine” and instead “frequently expressed secular concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine to friends, family members and coworkers,” concerns the court characterized as “pseudoscientific skepticism and conspiracy theories.”9Pacifica Law Group. Client WSU Beats Rolovich COVID-19 Vaccine Lawsuit
Second, the court found that even if his beliefs were religious, accommodating an unvaccinated head football coach would have created undue hardship. WSU presented unrebutted expert testimony that Rolovich’s unvaccinated status “materially increased the risk of spreading COVID-19 to others” given his constant close contact with players, staff, and donors. The university also argued the exemption would have jeopardized recruitment and fundraising. Judge Rice concluded that “no other possible accommodation would have negated that risk.”10The Athletic. Nick Rolovich Washington State Lawsuit Firing
The Ninth Circuit Appeal
Rolovich appealed. The case was docketed as No. 25-761 in the Ninth Circuit on February 5, 2025.11Law360. 9th Circ. Seems Skeptical of Religious Coach’s Vax Suit Becket filed the opening brief on June 12, 2025, with Joseph Davis of Becket and Eric N. Kniffin of Kniffin Law representing Rolovich.12Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Rolovich v. Washington State University
The appeal argues WSU engaged in a “premeditated effort” to remove Rolovich because of his religious beliefs, that leadership overrode its review panel’s approval under the alleged “Rolo strategy,” and that the termination amounted to religious hostility in violation of Title VII and state law.13Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Rolovich: Football Coach WSU Fired for His Faith Davis called Judge Rice’s analysis “cursory” and argued the record contains enough evidence for a jury.10The Athletic. Nick Rolovich Washington State Lawsuit Firing
The U.S. Department of Justice filed an amicus brief on Rolovich’s side, arguing he had provided “voluminous evidence” of a “sincere religious belief” and that his case presents a “reasonable claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.” The DOJ contended WSU, as a public employer, was required to provide a reasonable accommodation absent undue hardship, and failed to meet that standard.14EWTN News. Department of Justice Backs Catholic Football Coach Suing University Over COVID Vaccine Mandate
Oral arguments were held on June 10, 2026. According to Law360, the three-judge panel appeared “reluctant” to revive the case, with one judge describing it as an “uphill” battle.11Law360. 9th Circ. Seems Skeptical of Religious Coach’s Vax Suit A ruling is expected within several months. A reversal would not end the case; it would send it back to the district court for a jury trial.15Daily Evergreen. Rolovich Appeals Dismissal of Wrongful Termination Lawsuit Against WSU
How Parallel Cases Have Fared
Rolovich’s suit is the most prominent challenge to Washington’s mandate, but not the only one. More than 2,100 state employees were fired, resigned, or retired over the requirement, and the state has faced over a dozen lawsuits involving at least 180 former workers, including state troopers, nurses, engineers, ferry workers, and fish biologists.16Governing. Washington Faces Worker Lawsuits for Requiring COVID Vaccines Courts have consistently upheld the mandate. Pacifica Law Group, which represents WSU, reports defending state and local governments in over 50 vaccine mandate cases with no challenger obtaining relief.17Pacifica Law Group. COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Wins for WA State Agencies
The most significant parallel ruling came in October 2025, when the Ninth Circuit affirmed dismissal of Curtis v. Inslee, brought by more than 80 former healthcare workers fired under the same mandate. The court held that such mandates survive rational-basis review, that at-will employment is not a constitutionally protected property interest, and that vaccine-refusing workers are not a suspect class under equal protection law.18Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Curtis v. Inslee, No. 24-1869 The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear that appeal on June 1, 2026, leaving the ruling in place.19SLP Healthcare Update. What Supreme Court Leaving 9th Circuit COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Ruling in Place Means for Health Industry Employers Governor Inslee had already rescinded the mandate itself effective October 31, 2022.2Washington Governor’s Office. Proclamation 21-14 – COVID Vaccination Requirement Rescission
Where Rolovich Is Now
After more than three years out of coaching, Rolovich was hired by the University of California, Berkeley in December 2024 as a senior offensive assistant. He was elevated to interim head coach for Cal’s final two games after Justin Wilcox departed on November 23, 2025. In January 2026, new Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi promoted Rolovich to associate head coach and quarterbacks coach for the 2026 season.20Cal Bears. Nick Rolovich Staff Profile “Cal’s been really good for me,” Rolovich said in December 2025.21Sports Illustrated. Nick Rolovich Reportedly Will Be Cal’s Quarterback Coach Under Tosh Lupoi in 2026