A federal judge has ruled against a football coach who was fired after refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Former Washington State University coach Nick Rolovich did not provide evidence supporting his claim of a religious objection to COVID-19 vaccination, U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice said in a Jan. 6 ruling.
“Plaintiff frequently expressed secular concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine to friends, family members, and co-workers. In the thousands of pages of discovery, Plaintiff does not invoke a religious objection to the vaccine. This alone is a basis for denying Plaintiff’s claimed religious objection,” Rice said.
Federal civil rights law prevents employers from firing employees or otherwise discriminating against workers over their race, color, religion, or national origin.
Under court precedent, people who are fired or allegedly discriminated against can bring lawsuits if they show that their employers failed to accommodate their religious beliefs. Employers can still beat a lawsuit if they show they either tried accommodating an employee’s beliefs or that they could not accommodate them without undue hardship.
Even if Rolovich provided support for his religious objection, Washington State University offered unrebutted arguments that accommodating Rolovich would have led to increased travel costs, a higher risk of exposure for the football team and other coaches, and damage to the university’s reputation, the judge said.
A lawyer representing Rolovich did not respond to a request for comment.
“This ruling affirms the university’s commitment to upholding workplace health and safety requirements—especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the deadliest pandemic in U.S. history,” a Washington State University spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email.
“As the Court recognized, the overwhelming, undisputed evidence proved that allowing an unvaccinated head football coach to continue in his position during the height of the pandemic would have endangered the health and safety of the university community,” the spokesperson added. “Thus, the university’s decision to deny Mr. Rolovich’s exemption request and terminate his employment was consistent with the governor’s proclamation, our duty to protect the university community, and the law.”
The school terminated Rolovich and four assistant coaches in 2021 for failing to comply with the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The suit, filed in 2022, accused the school of violating Rolovich’s constitutional rights, the contract between Rolovich and the school, and state law against discrimination.
According to a document filed with the suit, an outside expert, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya of Stanford University, told the school that it could accommodate Rolovich’s beliefs while keeping other employees safe.
State officials disagreed, saying Rolovich could not be accommodated safely.