Colorado High School Activities Association commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green provided her first public statement since the CHSAA board voted unanimously to uphold the current sports calendar earlier this week, and provided more insight on communications with Gov. Jared Polis’ office.

According to the statement, CHSAA resubmitted a modified safety plan and variance request to the governor’s team for approval.

Blanford-Green did not include details regarding the association’s new variance requests which were submitted to the governor’s team Saturday morning, according to the statement.

“Parties have questioned our credibility, integrity, and honesty, even our commitment to the students of Colorado and those we serve yet they are doing so without all the facts before them,” Blanford-Green said in the statement, referencing stark criticism the state association has received from the public this week. “Until today, I have not felt the need to defend myself or our team because I know the vast amount of work and communications that have occurred behind the scenes.”

She said all parties, the commissioner, CHSAA board of directors and staff, and the governor’s office, are working “diligently together towards a resolution.”

This week questions emerged surrounding the communication and transparency between CHSAA and the governor’s office, as both parties had opposing statements regarding the variances provided by the governor’s office before Tuesday’s vote. CHSAA claimed Polis did not amend a variance from June, which limited team rosters to 12.5 athletes, prohibitive for football. Polis responded that he was in favor of working with CHSAA and did amend the variance to allow 50 athletes per team.

“First the approval of safety plans and variances must be secured from the governor. Then, with the additional voices of CHSAA member administrators, decisions will be made by the CHSAA board based on new information that was not available this past Tuesday,” Blanford-Green said in the statement.

Blanford-Green also included a document including sports variances sent to the governor’s office for consideration July 8, which was denied. The document requested that interscholastic and education-based athletics be an independent entity for future state guidelines, and listed requested variances for high school sports.

According to the document, CHSAA requested rosters for outdoor sports be capped at 50 participants, and 25 for indoor sports per gym/competitive area. It also requests the state to allow 50% stadium/gym/field and competitive area capacity with “required CHSAA safety mandates for non-active participants and spectators.”

Blanford-Green concludes the statement by saying, “We will continue to be the gate keepers even in the face of public outcry and singular sport focus to advocate vehemently for 180,000 student-participants, our member schools (public/charter and private) to resume all 29 athletics and activities for the state of Colorado.”