Ex Washington St Football Player Kassidy Woods Files Lawsuit Against HC Nick Rolovich

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NBC Sports (Aug/2020) https://www.nbcsports.com/northwest/...-kassidy-woods


Seattle Times https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/...tional-rights/



Former Cougar football player Kassidy Woods files lawsuit against Nick Rolovich, WSU

Former Washington State wide receiver Kassidy Woods has filed a lawsuit against Nick Rolovich one year after a phone call involving the player and coach was leaked, making national news at the height of college football’s player empowerment movement and in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Woods’ lawsuit, which was filed on Aug. 20 in the player’s home state of Texas, claims “Rolovich’s acts were racist, intentional, malicious, willful, and in gross and reckless disregard of Woods’ constitutional rights.”

The lawsuit also alleges the treatment that Woods received and the acts of Rolovich “were in direct retaliation for the exercise of civil rights secured by the Free Association protected afforded by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.”

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The Spokesman-Review did not learn of the lawsuit until after Rolovich spoke to reporters following WSU’s practice on Wednesday, but the school later issued a statement: “WSU Athletics is aware of the complaint and will not comment on any pending or ongoing legal matter.”

Last summer, Woods alleged that his participation the Pac-12’s player-led unity movement “#WeAreUnited,” and decision to opt out of playing for WSU in 2020 due to health concerns, jeopardized his future with the football team. In a recorded phone call, Rolovich told Woods “there’s one way we’ll handle (the opt out) if it’s COVID related, then there’s one way we’re going to handle it if it’s joining this group.”

Woods entered the NCAA transfer portal in September 2020 and now plays for Northern Colorado of the Big Sky Conference. In the leaked phone call with Rolovich last summer, Woods, who has the sickle cell trait, claimed he was opting out of playing in 2020 due to concerns regarding COVID-19 https://soundcloud.com/theo-lawson-2...1/kassidy-rolo .

I just wanted to inform you that I would be opting out of playing in the season. I just wanted to give you a heads up, so you won’t be caught blindsided by it. But the reasoning behind it is just, you know with concerns with my health. Because -- I’m pretty sure you probably don’t know, but first and foremost, I have Sickle Cell. So and like with all this COVID stuff, it affects the respiratory system. And really, we really, really don’t know much about the virus within itself. So I just don’t -- I feel like there’s not enough in place for me to be safe, you know, and for sure that I would be able to play. So that’s the main reason why I’m opting out. – Kassidy Woods

According to the lawsuit, WSU staff members asserted “campus was the safest place for players” although before Woods’ arrival on campus, the player learned his roommate had tested positive for COVID-19. The lawsuit claims the roommate informed Woods of his exposure and that “roughly” 10 WSU football players had tested positive at that time.

“His roommate felt that Woods should know about the positive cases even though Defendants strictly ordered the players to keep silent to the media and others — including players who had not yet reported back to Pullman — regarding positive COVID-19 cases that were occurring within the program,” the lawsuit read.

As a result of Woods’ decision to opt out of playing in 2020, he was told to clean out his locker and would be unable to participate in team activities because it would send “mixed messages to the team,” Rolovich said. On Aug. 2, 2020, Woods and five other WSU players who indicated they’d be aligning with the “#WeAreUnited” group were removed from a GroupMe messaging chat, according to the lawsuit.

“WSU would later allege that these ‘precautions’ were taken for players who were sensitive to exposure to COVID-19,” the lawsuit read. “However, the fallacy of that argument is obvious; at the time of this Complaint, there are no reported cases that can be found of transmission of COVID-19 through Zoom, Xos, iMessage, or GroupMe chats. COVID-19 transmission is entirely impossible through virtual communications.”

In the lawsuit, Woods alleges that since campus was closed to non-athletes, “there were no options available to Woods to even receive meals normally provided to players during the pre-season period as part of the contract for athletic services.”

WSU athletic director Pat Chun denied that Woods’ involvement with the #WeAreUnited movement led to his removal from the football team and reiterated that the player’s scholarship wouldn’t be impacted by his decision to opt out of competing in 2020.

In the lawsuit, Woods claims Chun “often appeared bored” during an Aug. 13, 2020, Zoom call in which the player’s family “explained their frustration and concern regarding basic issues such as Woods’ ability to obtain meals while on campus,” and the AD “expressed that WSU’s stance in support of Rolovich was entrenched and unwavering.”

Since July, WSU’s second-year coach has been the subject of heavy scrutiny since announcing his decision not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine “for reasons that will remain private.” A new mandate in Washington requires all higher-education employees to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or provide a legitimate health or religious exemption. While Rolovich, who is Washington’s highest-paid state employee, has stated multiple times he would “follow the mandate,” he has refused to clarify whether that means he’ll get the vaccine or file for an exemption.