NCAA declares Fairfax High product Renardo Sidney 'not certified'

Former Fairfax High standout Renardo Sidney failed to provide the NCAA with the financial documents it requested by a Sept. 2 deadline, so the organization has declared the Mississippi State freshman "not certified due to non response," an NCAA spokeswoman told The Times on Thursday.

"We've asked for additional information and have not received it," NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn said. "When and if we get it, we'll review those documents. If we don't, he remains not certified."

Although Sidney has enrolled in classes, the NCAA designation restricts him from playing until his family and attorney give the NCAA documentation explaining its financial support. The Times reported earlier this year that USC and UCLA retreated from recruiting Sidney due to concerns about how the family was able to afford rent at two lavish homes in the Fairfax District after it moved to Southern California from Mississippi.

Mississippi State submitted a notice of appeal to the NCAA, which will allow Sidney to practice with the team and sit on the bench during home games. Without being certified, Sidney cannot travel with the team, Osburn said.

Sidney's attorney told the Clarion-Ledger newspaper in Jackson, Miss., earlier this month that he had forwarded a third set of documents to the NCAA, but Osburn said that paperwork did not fulfill the NCAA's request.

"Just because we receive documents doesn't mean we've received what we've asked for," she said. "Receiving documents is one of several steps before a verification decision is made."

-- Lance Pugmire

Photo: Renardo Sidney. Credit: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times

  

Comments

[JA]

The involvement and coverage of Renardo Sidney by the LA Times is pathetic. Too many assumptions, discriminative suggestions, and lack of hard proof to warrant this kind of story. USC and UCLA backed off for more reasons than questions about Sidney. Especially in USC's case, most of their reasons were internal. The "not certified" status has been the case for weeks. It isn't news. The sole reason the NCAA is demanding bank account records (an unprecedented move) is because of an LA Times story earlier this year that had no citing proof of any wrong doing. What a f*cking joke. You act like this is out of the ordinary. Let the kid play. He hasn't done anything wrong. What his (step)father may or may not have done shouldn't be a reason to keep a teenager from going to college for basketball.

[RAS]

JA clearly you have more evidence than the NCAA or the LA Times? if not you're guilty of the same things you say they are.

Sidney does not have a "right" to play college basketball, the NCAA has rules and one of them is you have to be an amateur, if they have reason to believe he's not an amateur, they have grounds to ask him to prove he is. The family and lawyer are refusing to do that. If they have nothing to hide why would they miss a deadline that they were told would lead to this?

USC's "internal" problems were they had a coach running a dirty program and they finally decided in light of the Mayo scandal and the pending LA Times story on Sidney, it might not look too good if USC signed Sidney. Tim Floyd himself says he wanted to take Sidney, but the school was afraid it would look bad because of the pending story on Sidney. USC fans should be happy the school went over Floy'd head and wouldn't let him take Sidney, they're in enough trouble already thanks to Mayo and Floyd, the last thing they needed was another NCAA investigation.

If Sidney is an amateur he can prove it by providing the documents the NCAA has asked for, if he continues to refuse it appears obvious it's because he knows those docs won't clear him.

I suspect you're an MSU fan who's mad the prize recruit might not be allowed to play. You're not really upset about Sidney's right to play, just his right to play for MSU.

[Mike]

JA, how about he goes to college to be a student?

If he wants to play basketball, there's always Europe.

Let's face it, UCLA backed off because of not only the questions of his family taking money, but he also wasn't the brightest bulb either. Why take on a student that they felt wouldn't be able to achieve anything academically?

As far as USC, well, we know that they have enough dirty linen already.

[Tom]

Actually Mike, USC backed off because he could not qualify at USC. UCLA accepted him but ran scared when Sidney asked for the Sam Gilbert deal. Too bad for the Bruins, as it would have increased their enrollment of African-Americans by 10%.

[RAS]

So Tom you're telling us that USC was able to qualify Taj Gibson, Davon Jefferson and Leonard Washington but couldn't get Sidney in? All those BYU online courses, Trade Tech classes and "tutors" at USC's disposal and they couldn't qualify Sidney?

Yep that was it.

[gerrrg]

Makes Garrett look smart for cutting off the pursuit of Sidney.

[pk-in-the-mesa]

Basically his baggage was to deep to keep and if USC and Weasel Tech could of they would of.