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The gears in Sidney's amateurism evaluation case are turning a little faster. Later this week, the NCAA should receive most of the information it has requested on the Mississippi State basketball signee and his family, according to family attorney Donald Jackson.
It's the next step for Sidney, whose saga took him from Mississippi to Los Angeles and back.
In question is whether the amateur status of the McDonald's All-American has been compromised.
The main issues:
- Sonny Vaccaro, a former Reebok shoe rep and an influential presence on the AAU scene, helped the Sidneys financially during their move from Mississippi to L.A. three years ago. Sidney's father, Renardo Sr., was reportedly paid $20,000 to work as a consultant for Reebok, which violated no NCAA rules - but such close involvement between a shoe company and a prospect's father warrants a closer look.
Vaccaro has since left both the company and the Sidneys' inner circle.
- As reported by the Los Angeles Times, Renardo Sr. formed a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in 2007, through which he received donations for the AAU team he was coaching - his son's team.
- The Sidneys have been living in a $1.2 million home, and it's not clear how they've afforded the rent.
The NCAA will get to ask Sidney and his parents directly about these issues in early July, when the two sides will meet in Jackson's office in Montgomery, Ala.
Jackson, who's handled many eligibility cases, including those of former MSU basketball player Mario Austin and current Ole Miss football player Jerrell Powe, said he will send paperwork to the NCAA no later than Friday.
Among the information requested by the NCAA is where the Sidneys lived in L.A., basic financial information, and employment information. Jackson is not, however, providing bank statements, as requested by the NCAA.
"We'll provide them all information they need to establish where these people live, how they afforded to support themselves, but beyond that, it's not gonna be an unbridled fishing expedition," he said.
MSU's legal counsel in this case, noted sports attorney Michael Glazier, will also receive copies of those documents. After both sides have gone through the information, they will meet in Montgomery, as early as next week.
Moving it along
Once the interviews are finished, Jackson hopes the process moves more quickly than normal. He's taking steps to ensure that happens by providing more information than the NCAA requested.
"They can't turn around and say, 'We need additional documents and additional information.' The goal is to provide them five times the amount of information they need," Jackson said.
Jackson cited the Austin case. The NCAA was conducting an academic credential review of Austin, who missed the first six games of the 2002-03 season while awaiting a ruling.
At the time, Bill Saum was the NCAA's director of agent, amateurism and gambling activities, and he clashed with Jackson on many cases. The position has been held by Rachel Newman-Baker since May of 2005.
Jackson said he's received assurances from Newman-Baker that this evaluation process will not drag on deep into the fall or the season, which would force MSU coach Rick Stansbury to keep Sidney benched and create what Jackson called a "de facto suspension."
Newman-Baker did not return a phone call by the Daily Journal.
Bracky Brett, MSU's compliance director, said he couldn't offer a guess on how long it will take.
"Once we've received the documentation we've requested, I think we can move forward in a timely manner," Brett said.
Jackson said he's filed a Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) request to the NCAA. That will allow Jackson to review all documentation compiled by the NCAA in this case.
Sidney finished high school on Friday and had hoped to enroll for MSU's second summer term, which begins July 6. Brett said that's no guarantee considering Sidney still has to go through the NCAA eligibility center process, MSU's admissions process, and the SEC's academic credential review.
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