SixPackSpeak Beat Writer Blogs

Former Sidney coach speaks to NCAA representative

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:45 GMT

Former Renardo Sidney coach Wayne Brent spoke to an NCAA represenative today and shed some light on the Sidney family's finances when he spoke with me earlier tonight. So did former Reebok exec Sonny Vaccaro. Here's a preview of what will be in tomorrow's Clarion-Ledger:

Renardo Sidney’s former coach at Piney Woods said he told an NCAA representative Friday that the Sidney family paid rent for their $1.2 million home in California with a combination of Renardo Sidney Sr.’s work as a Reebok consultant and a personal loan, among other sources.

Wayne Brent, now the coach at Callaway, coached at Piney Woods when Sidney was ruled ineligible to play there in 2005. The family soon moved to Los Angeles, where the 6-foot-10 forward remained one of the highest-profile basketball recruits in the country.

Sidney signed with Mississippi State on April 30 and is the subject of an NCAA review of his amateur status before he can play for the Bulldogs.

“I say the kid’s going to be eligible to play,” Brent said. “One thing, when they left, I kept close contact with them, and my main thing with them was to keep documentation of everything they do.”

The Sidneys’ attorney, Donald Jackson, sent much of that documentation to the NCAA last week. NCAA representatives are scheduled to interview the Sidneys at Jackson’s office in Montgomery, Ala., Monday and Tuesday.

Brent said he told the NCAA representative who called that the Sidney family “had about two or three different incomes coming in to (pay) the rent.”

In addition to help from family and the Reebok job, Brent said the Sidneys had a bank loan, two teammates of Sidney paying rent and that Sidney Sr. was working out players.

But if the loan was obtained solely on the promise of Sidney’s future earnings as a pro basketball player, that could be a potential stumbling block to the NCAA.

Brent said he was also questioned about the Sidneys’ relationship with former Reebok executive Sonny Vaccaro. The Los Angeles Times reported Vaccaro gave Sidney Sr. $20,000 to move to California.

“That never happened,” Vaccaro said. “I never gave the Sidneys $20,000.” He said the shoe company — not Vaccaro himself — gave $20,000 to sponsor Sidney’s summer team.

Vaccaro said he has not been contacted by the NCAA.

NCAA: Policy Change Unrelated to Sidney Case

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:56 GMT

I got an e-mail response from the NCAA – second time they've commented on this case, wow – and spokesman Bob Williams said the aforementioned policy change has nothing to do with ...

Sidney Update: L.A. Times Story Fueled Probe

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:02 GMT

Another text from attorney Donald Jackson . He said the NCAA interviewed Wayne Brent , who was coach at Piney Woods when Renardo Sidney was there (he was ineligible to play due to reside...

Sidney: Clearinghouse Takes Over Case

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:24 GMT

So I'm out and about running errands this afternoon when I receive a text message from Donald Jackson , attorney for Renardo Sidney and family. It read, in full: "On July 2, 2009, the NC...

A new twist in the Sidney case

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:28 GMT

We interrupt today's early holiday Friday with news on Mississippi State basketball signee Renardo Sidney.

The Sidney amateurism inquiry has been moved from the NCAA's division in charge of agents, gambling and amateurism activities to the NCAA's eligibility center, Sidney attorney Don Jackson said this afternoon. He said he received an e-mail to that effect Wednesday. (The eligibility center is what we all commonly refer to as the clearinghouse.)

OK, so, what does this mean?

Jackson thinks it has to do with his request last month under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act to view all of the NCAA's documents and working papers on the Sidney case. "I think it's their way of trying to avoid the issue of whether or not they have the obligation to produce this information to me," Jackson said.

Either way, interviews will still take place Monday and Tuesday in Montgomery. It'll just be with a different set of interviewers working under a different arm of the NCAA. Jackson said he didn't view it as a negative because he says Sidney has nothing to hide, regardless of who is looking at the case. That said, he is still fearful that the case will drag out under the administration of this group.

An NCAA spokesman didn't immediately return a message.

Shaunessy Smith: Feelin' Good, Thinkin' Big

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:53 GMT

Shaunessy Smith was a big signing for Mississippi State basketball last fall, but he's been overshadowed quite a bit by the late arrivals of Renardo Sidney and John Riek , not to mentio...

Bill Byrne on Greg Byrne

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:11 GMT

I had a nice conversation this morning with Texas A&M athletics director Bill Byrne , father of Mississippi State AD Greg Byrne . I'm doing a story on the younger Byrne for the weekend. ...

A plea for some sort of civility

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:21 GMT

For some time now, I've greeted every person who wants to talk to me about the comments section on my blog posts with a variation on a simple theme: "Sorry I don't read it."

Sad, I know, considering that the folks who read are dedicated, loyal and appreciated clarionledger.com readers. None of the people who comment on this blog are evil, after all. They just love their favorite school.

But few would argue that this thing hasn't gotten out of hand.

Here's my evidence: Used to, I would scan the comments section of The Blog for questions from readers and answer them as best I could. After all, that person took the time to ask me a question, so I took the time to answer it. But now, I don't do that as much. Once the comments devolve into a Ole Miss/State junior high cafeteria food-fight, I stop reading. I suspect many of the rest of you guys do, too. So in the midst of this, there are probably some good questions that go unanswered. Ideally, I'd like to make the comments section a productive place to discuss the goings-on of Mississippi State sports, and, if prompted, I'd offer the expertise that it's my job to develop. It's clearly not that.

The Blog's comments section, circa 2009

So, I'm asking many of you to change. Look, I know this may be futile. I read the blogs belonging to my counterparts in Alabama, or the comments sections to stories from reporter-friends in, say, Memphis, and know that this isn't a situation isolated to Mississippi or The Blog in general. Most people aren't fighting back and are just letting their comments section swirl down the drain. I'm going to at least take one stab at changing it.

I'm not offering any penalties or promising to crack down on unruly posters, because at the heart of the matter, I'm not particularly comfortable stepping on one's right to express oneself unless it crosses a line. And, I have no power to do any of that, even if I wanted to. So I can only appeal to the intelligence and maturity of you guys who read and post, and ask you to keep the conversation intelligent, civil and respectful.

See, I've long maintained that The Blog is the place where intelligent Mississippi State fans come to get their news. If you're the kind of person who loves a good conspiracy theory and/or loves to argue State vs. Ole Miss stuff to the point of absurdity, well, there are some fine message boards in cyberspace that will accomodate you. If you're the kind of person that likes to read news before any other news outlet, well, keep on coming back. And let's discuss it.

Simply put here: Can't we all act like adults?

Wednesday Blog Roundup

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:48 GMT

Here's the best of the SEC blogs from today. Slim pickings, but it's July 1. • RollBamaRoll.com takes a closer look at the Crimson Tide's 3-4 defense . • Jeremy Fowler o...

Bulldogs as (Big) Underdogs

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:52 GMT

Mississippi State's football team will enter most of its SEC games this fall as the underdog. So there will be ample opportunities for the Bulldogs to pull off an upset. Looking at the schedule, I...