Renardo Sidney said he will return to Mississippi State next season even after the NCAA on Friday fined him and ruled him ineligible for this season and part of next.
“Yes I am comeing (sic) back to b a bulldog next year :)” Sidney put on his Facebook status Friday night.
Sidney, a 6-foot-10 Mississippi State freshman who has not played this season while the NCAA investigated his case, was declared ineligible for the rest of this season and 30 percent of next year and fined $11,800 for “benefits received from preferential treatment.”
Mississippi State said it would appeal the decision.
“We felt from the beginning Renardo deserves the opportunity to be both a student and athlete at Mississippi State, and this is still our hope today,” Mississippi State Athletics Director Greg Byrne told the Los Angeles Times.
After moving to Los Angeles from Mississippi, Sidney’s family rented a $1.2 million home and paid a monthly rent of $4,000, the Times reported.
The NCAA said that the money came from a nonprofit organization run by Renardo Sidney Sr.
“Our members have made it crystal clear that student-athletes who receive impermissible benefits, either directly or indirectly, and who lie to the NCAA must be held accountable,” Kevin Lennon, the NCAA vice president for academic and membership affairs, told the Times. “This case is about more than a student-athlete. One of our core responsibilities is to ensure a level playing field for all student-athletes and their teams. No team or individual should have an unfair advantage.”
(Alex Kline contributed reporting)
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