Tom Izzo on California law: 'I sure as hell don't think it's a politician's job to get involved'

Tom Izzo is at it again.

The longtime Michigan State head basketball coach is known to speak his mind at the podium every now and then, and Wednesday was no exception. Izzo was asked about the new name, image and likeness bill that was signed into law in California this week, and he didn’t hold back on his thoughts.

Izzo admitted that he doesn’t have the right answer to the issue and that he’s not sure how it will affect college athletics moving forward, but he seems pretty peeved that it made its way into government.

“I sure as hell don’t think it’s a politician’s job to get involved in this,” Izzo said at B1G Media Day. “I’m baffled by that a little bit. I’m in for players getting whatever they can get. I just don’t know what the effects are going to be.

“I’m wide open to it.”

The new law is set to take effect in 2023, and now many other states — including Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Illinois, New York, Nevada and Florida — are pushing for similar legislation. It feels like a change is coming and the NCAA is going to have to adjust its model.

Clearly, Izzo wishes it wouldn’t have gone to a government level, but it sounds like he’s willing to listen to some ideas. Like most, he’s just not sure what the right answer is and how it will affect the game moving forward.