[teejers1]

If anyone understands this, please illuminate us. I am befuddled.  He does understand that it is impossible to practice for football in a cohort of 12, doesn’t he?  

It’s okay with me if he wants to say no, but in that case, he has to own it.  Perhaps he is just buying time until they’re ready to make a decision?

Actually, it is not that difficult to understand once you realize that Newsom is seeking to avoid being blamed if things go sideways.  He knows that there is a lot of pressure to restart football, so he doesn't want to appear like the state is the barrier to restarting, hence he is saying things like "There's nothing in our guidelines the state put out that denies these games from occurring".

But also, if something bad happens to one of the players or there's an outbreak connecting to the football games, he still wants to be able to blame the NCAA, conference, and schools.

Governor Newsom wants to have it both ways.  I really hope this works out.  Thankfully, the disease tends to be fairly mild in younger populations like football players, so it may all turn out well.  But let's be clear that this whole "damnedorpedoes, let's pl the tay football" reveals how f-d up our priorities are.  We have no compunction in disadvantaging college kids' academics by sacrificing in person classes and, in many people, send students home, but the minute millions in TV money is at risk somehow we can find a way to make it work.

BC

BC nails it.  I just had to laugh at that one sentence, though:

"There's nothing in our guidelines the state put out that denies these games from occurring".

Man that is all kinds of layered/contrived . . . and hurts a bit to read it.

How about:  "These are just guidelines, schools are free to do what they believe is safe."  [Of course, that's not true].
Or "The state guidelines permit college sports."  (I'm not sure that is true, either).

Anyway, an admirable example of vacillation/qualification/obfuscation . . . 

In other words, perfect PoliticianSpeak!

[teejers1]

If anyone understands this, please illuminate us. I am befuddled.  He does understand that it is impossible to practice for football in a cohort of 12, doesn’t he?  

It’s okay with me if he wants to say no, but in that case, he has to own it.  Perhaps he is just buying time until they’re ready to make a decision?

Actually, it is not that difficult to understand once you realize that Newsom is seeking to avoid being blamed if things go sideways.  He knows that there is a lot of pressure to restart football, so he doesn't want to appear like the state is the barrier to restarting, hence he is saying things like "There's nothing in our guidelines the state put out that denies these games from occurring".

But also, if something bad happens to one of the players or there's an outbreak connecting to the football games, he still wants to be able to blame the NCAA, conference, and schools.

Governor Newsom wants to have it both ways.  I really hope this works out.  Thankfully, the disease tends to be fairly mild in younger populations like football players, so it may all turn out well.  But let's be clear that this whole "damnedorpedoes, let's pl the tay football" reveals how f-d up our priorities are.  We have no compunction in disadvantaging college kids' academics by sacrificing in person classes and, in many people, send students home, but the minute millions in TV money is at risk somehow we can find a way to make it work.

BC

BC nails it.  I just had to laugh at that one sentence, though:

"There's nothing in our guidelines the state put out that denies these games from occurring".

Man that is all kinds of layered/contrived . . . and hurts a bit to read it.

How about:  "These are just guidelines, schools are free to do what they believe is safe."  [Of course, that's not true].
Or "The state guidelines permit college sports."  (I'm not sure that is true, either).

Anyway, an admirable example of vacillation/qualification/obfuscation . . . 

In other words, perfect PoliticianSpeak!