Clear as Mud. According to an Andy Katz report from earlier today, the answer to the above question is… maybe? It depends on who you’re listening to. Don Jackson, the Sidney family attorney, email blasted the media today with a laundry list of findings of fact that he believes means that Renardo Sidney may be “days away” from becoming eligible to play for Mississippi State this season. The NCAA, however, doesn’t exactly agree with Mr. Jackson’s assessment of the situation:
Mr. Jackson is wrong in his description of Renardo Sidney, Jr’s., initial-eligibility status, and he continues to demonstrate a lack of understanding of the Amateurism Certification Process. The NCAA Division I Amateurism Fact-Finding Committee has only determined what facts will now be analyzed to decide if violations of NCAA legislation have occurred, and if so, what penalties should be assessed. This matter will not be concluded until such final determinations have been made. At this point, it is premature to speculate on a timeframe and an ultimate outcome.
So what’s going to happen? Your guess is as good as ours, although the hard-line stance that the NCAA appears to be taking with respect to Sidney implies again that it’s unlikely we’ll ever see him play college basketball. We’ve been wrong before, though, and we’d certainly welcome him if he miraculously gets to play this year.