Miss. St. basket(brawl) aftermath now known
Posted: Tuesday, January 4, 2011 3:39 pm
By: By DAVID BRANDT, AP Sports Writer
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Renardo Sidney’s staying. Elgin Bailey’s going.
That’s the aftermath of a nationally-televised brawl between two Mississippi State basketball players in the stands of a tournament in Honolulu on Dec. 23.
The fight embarrassed the program and caused both players to be suspended indefinitely.
Both players were reinstated, according to an MSU release on Monday.
But while Sidney remains with the program, Bailey has “asked to be released from the team in order to transfer.”
Sidney, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, missed more than a year because of NCAA eligibility issues.
He has played in only two career games, averaging 15.5 points and 4.5 rebounds.
Bailey, a 6-foot-8 junior, played in 12 games this season, averaging 5.8 points and 4.3 rebounds.
“Elgin told me of his plans to transfer, and I wish him the best as he moves on,” MSU coach Rick Stansbury said in a statement. “He’s worked extremely hard for us during his time here. Elgin has had to deal with some very tough injuries, but he’s worked very hard to get to where he is now.
“Wherever he ends up, I hope he’s able to have a lot of success.
As for this team, it’s time to move on and learn from these mistakes. Hopefully, by sending Sid and Elgin home following the incident, a strong message was sent that this type of behavior is unacceptable.
This isn’t Sidney’s first brush with discipline with the Bulldogs. Just days before the fight, he was suspended for a game after an “incident” during practice.
But it’s Bailey whose MSU career now appears to be over.
The injury-plagued forward, who was a team captain, appeared in 74 career games.
“We expect all of our student-athletes to represent themselves, our university, athletic program, fans and alumni in a first-class manner at all times,” MSU athletics director Scott Stricklin said in a statement. “Hopefully, the disciplinary action that was taken sends a strong message to these young men, and all of our student-athletes, that inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated.”
 Print
None
|
