PULLMAN, Wash. — With the leaves beginning to turn and the chilly air snapping skin to attention, Washington State’s football players awoke Saturday to a crisp fall morning. Walking into Martin Stadium through a gantlet of fans, parents, cheerleaders and a marching band only amplified their anticipation.
The morning, though, carried a different air for Nick Rolovich, the team’s coach. He woke up to unsettling news: that his former college coach, June Jones, told USA Today of Rolovich’s decision to apply for a religious exemption to a requirement that Washington state employees become vaccinated from the coronavirus.