'The guy you look up to every day is gone.' The toll of Rolovich's departure, as told by one WSU alum

Think back to January 2020. It was a more innocent time, right? And a new era the Washington State University football program.

WSU alum Michael-Shawn Dugar remembers it like it was yesterday.

He sets the scene in a column this week: "The moment felt perfect. Beer in one hand, chicken wing in the other, smile across my face and a beacon of hope by my side. This was the start of something new, something exciting, something special."

Little did he know, it was actually the beginning of something disappointing to him. And not just because of Covid-19.

Dugar had high hopes for the team's then new coach Nick Rolovich. Now, not even two full seasons later, he is out of the job.

Rolovich — who was one of the highest-paid public employees in Washington with a salary of $3.1 million — was fired by Washington State University for refusing to get a Covid-19 vaccine as required by a mandate for state employees.

"This is a disheartening day for our football program. Our priority has been and will continue to be the health and well-being of the young men on our team," WSU Director of Athletics Pat Chun said in an announcement. "The leadership on our football team is filled with young men of character, selflessness and resiliency and we are confident these same attributes will help guide this program as we move forward."

Defensive coordinator Jake Dickert will take his place for now.

Rolovich's request for a religious exemption from Governor Jay Inslee's mandate for state workers to be vaccinated against Covid-19 was rejected. He'd sought an exemption on religious grounds after making headlines for saying he would not get the shots for private reasons.

Dugar covers the Seattle Seahawks for The Athletic.

But as a WSU alum, as a Black WSU alum, he's reflecting on how this saga has played out for him as a Coug and as a fan struggling with what he already saw as the highly problematic college football machine.

More importantly, though, he's reflecting on the young players left behind.

Four of Rolovich's assistant coaches, Ricky Logo, John Richardson, Craig Stutzmann and Mark Weber were also terminated by the university for failure to get fully vaccinated by Monday.

"The guy you look up to every day is gone. He's gone. He left you. And he had a choice," Dugar says, adding Rolovich and the four assistant coaches had effectively made promises to players they'll no longer be there to mentor. "And that is messed up."

Dugar spoke with KUOW Morning Edition host Angela King about what the season now holds for the team.