The odds of Mississippi State’s talented freshman Renardo
Sidney playing this season continue to dwindle.
Sidney’s lawyer, Don Jackson, told FOXSports.com on
Wednesday that the NCAA Eligibility Center has requested an
additional interview with Sidney’s family next week.
The NCAA has already met with several people close to Sidney
as well as a bank official in Los Angeles.
"After several days of interviews in Los Angeles and
Mississippi, the NCAA has still not established the existence of
any violations in the Renardo Sidney matter,” Jackson said.
The highly touted 6-foot-10 Sidney has been unable to play
this season due to an ongoing investigation by the NCAA into his
amateurism status.
Sidney and his family hail from Mississippi but moved to Los
Angeles prior to Sidney’s sophomore year of high school. The
Los Angeles Times reported that the family rented a home
valued at $1.2 million.
Jackson told FOXSports.com that he has given the NCAA the
documentation — including bank deposits — it
has requested. However, he has not turned over detailed bank
statements.
"This case represents a distortion of the initial eligibility
process,” Jackson said. "In effect, the Eligibility
Center’s refusal to act mounts to a suspension without
finding a single violation of any type.”
Mississippi State is 7-2 this season without Sidney in the
lineup.
