Proud to Be A Coug

Today, I am proud to be a Coug. It’s been a rough couple of years, with the ongoing chaos and stress the pandemic has caused WSU students, staff and faculty. Watching over 700,000 of my fellow Americans die and countless others suffer from this horrible virus has been traumatic.

But there is a light at the end of this long, dark tunnel. Science has provided a tool to greatly reduce, if not eliminate, the worst effects of COVID-19, and millions of Americans are now vaccinated. And yesterday, WSU President Kirk Schultz and Athletic Director Pat Chun provided clear leadership to the Coug nation and the rest of the state by firing WSU head football coach Nick Rolovich for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Now, I don’t want to get carried away. Schultz and Chun are not superheroes, they merely did their jobs. But I recognize firing Rolovich was not an easy step to take, no matter how righteous. Rolovich, despite all the usual coach-speak about football coaches being “leaders of young men” (or better yet, “student-athletes”), chose not to take the simple step of getting vaccinated, an act which would have helped protect all the young men in his charge.

Rolovich, despite holding a very prominent position as the head football coach at Washington State University, a school whose alumni care deeply about their football team, chose not to lead by example, unlike other similarly situated people, including every other Division One football coach.

Rolovich, despite having a public platform by virtue of his position as head football coach, chose not to even explain his decision to refuse to be vaccinated. He must have a reason — why not share it? Why not explain his behavior? Some will say he has the right not to explain his behavior, but I disagree — he is a public person, and with that comes some additional responsibilities (and a very nice salary). It appears he sought a religious exemption, but if so the grounds for that are unclear, as no mainstream religion has declared that getting the COVID-19 vaccine is a violation of their religious ideology. And in any case, WSU was willing to grant the religious exemption, but obviously could not accommodate Rolovich — a football coach cannot do the job in isolation.

Rolovich’s actions brought shame to Washington State University and sent a terrible message. He resisted taking a simple step that would only serve to protect not just himself, but others around him. And he did so without explaining himself. WSU does not need, as one of its public faces, a person who ignores science, shows disdain for the welfare of others, and who cannot even articulate the reasons for his actions. He is a state employee, subject to the same rules as all state employees. Being the WSU head football coach and highest-paid state employee does not place him above the rest of us. President Schultz and Athletic Director stood up to him, and in doing so made me proud to be a Coug.

Craig Hemmens

Spokane