Washington Nationals sued by ex-employees over vaccine firing

The Washington Nationals are being sued by two former employees who were fired for refusing to comply with the team’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Lawrence (Larry) Pardo and Brad Holman were pitching coaches in the Nats’ organization. The two refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine for religious reasons and were fired by the Nats as a result. The team instituted a mandate on Aug. 12 that went into effect on Sept. 10, leading to the firing of both men.

Now the two have filed a lawsuit against the club, TMZ Sports reports.

Pardo and Holman cited religious reasons for not getting the vaccine, which “were developed from or tested on aborted fetal cells.” The two are against abortion for religious reasons.

They believe they were discriminated against on the basis of religion and are due damages.

As of September, the two also were filing a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.

In a statement sent to the Washington Post this morning, Brad Holman and Larry Pardo said they refuse to take the vaccine because "they are developed from and/or tested with aborted fetal cells." They filed a religious exemption with the Nationals that was denied.

— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) September 17, 2021

Holman, 53, and Pardo, 55, were both hired by the team in 2018. Holman was the team’s minor league pitching coordinator, while Pardo was the pitching coach for the club’s Florida Complex League team, according to The Washington Post.