A college football coach who has not been inoculated against the coronavirus could be facing potential termination unless he gets the jab.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday announced mandatory vaccines for most state education workers, a policy which covers all higher-education employees -- including coaches.
The Oct. 18 deadline could loom large for Washington State head coach Nick Rolovich, who attended Pac-12 Media Day remotely last month, explaining that he was not vaccinated, though he declined to specify why.
Rolovich apologized, saying he hadn't intended for his vaccine status to become a topic of interest, and he planned to comply with any policies that might be implemented "for the unvaccinated" moving forward.
"I don't mean to cause any heartache to this university or to this athletic department or this state," Rolovich said. "As I go forward, I plan on adhering to all policies that are implemented for the unvaccinated at the state, local, campus and conference level."
It was unclear whether Rolovich had a medical complication that could preclude him from getting vaccinated, or if he might be eligible for an exemption from the new mandate. Under the new policy, limited exemptions were available for employees with "legitimate medical reasons and sincerely held religious beliefs," The Athletic reported.
The majority of Pac-12 schools have committed to requiring all students and staff being vaccinated for the upcoming season, with some exceptions. The Associated Press reported last month that exempt individuals would have to be masked at all times on campus, according to The Athletic.
On Wednesday, the school reiterated its commitment to following vaccine policies, including the ones announced by Inslee.
"Washington State Athletics, including staff, coaches and student-athletes, will continue to follow all campus, local, state, Pac-12 and NCAA guidelines related to health and safety surrounding COVID-19 and we will work to ensure the mandates in the Governor's Proclamation are followed."
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