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I like Rolo.
He tolerates me.
He once described our relationship as “symbiotic.” I think that means he smiles at my quips and ignores my suggestions, like the one in which companies should distribute logo pens on Hawaii-bound flights for passengers to fill out those pesky agriculture forms.
I’ve known Washington State coach Nick Rolovich for 21 years, first as a University of Hawaii football recruit, then quarterback, then offensive coordinator, and then Rainbow Warrior head coach. He’s smart; witty; fiercely loyal to his alma mater, former teammates and players; and boundlessly inquisitive. He choked up when a player was severely injured; his heart was shattered when Mark Ma, Colt Brennan and Robert Kekaula died.
Rolo is a lot of good things. He now needs to get the COVID-19 vaccination.
And if he already has received the shot(s) — and he has not publicly acknowledged that — he needs to announce it.
He could do it in costume, or alongside Elvis, or from the top of Pride Rock. But he needs to do it.
As for some others, put down the pitchforks. I believe in the benefits of the vaccine, but I’m not your parent. You can do whatever you want. It’s your life. I’m not your bartender, either, so we need not spill reasons for or against a shot.
But Rolo is in a different situation. He is the face of a university that has one of the top medical-research programs in the country, a school that advocates the value of the vaccine.
Rolo owes it to WSU president Kirk Schultz and athletic director Pat Chun, both of whom backed their belief in his leadership qualities with a hefty five-year contract. Both believe in vaccinations.
A shot would be a boost to a coaching staff that should not be distracted from the Pac-12 race, and to the players who need to emerge from the shadow of a 2020 season in which three of seven scheduled WSU games were canceled because of pandemic-related circumstances.
It also would comply with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s mandate that all employees at state schools receive the COVID-19 vaccine or an approved exemption by Oct. 18.
At the least, a shot would minimize the risk of severe illness and hospitalization, and allow Rolo easier travel to Hawaii, where he has built a recruiting base.
While there are breakthrough cases for vaccinated people, the odds of occurrence are relatively low. I’ve sat next to Rolo at roulette tables. He is not that unlucky. As for a shot’s potential health risks for a vaccinated person, they pale in comparison to, say, a habit of dipping tobacco.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and maintaining personal convictions is a deserving right. But in a position of leadership, when a best-case path from a pandemic has been plotted, the greater good should take importance, even if it is symbolic. While Rolo has a right to take a stand, this is not the right time.
As it is with his fourth-down bravado, it is time to take a shot.
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