NCAA declares Fairfax High product Renardo Sidney ‘not certified’

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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