David Sidoo

Sidoo is of Indian-Canadian descent and grew up in New Westminster, B.C., the son of a sawmill-working immigrant father from Punjab in northern India and a stay-at-home mother. From 1978 to 1982, he attended the University of British Columbia on a football scholarship. At UBC, he played for the school's team, the Thunderbirds. After graduating university, Sidoo was drafted into the Canadian Football League, becoming the first Indian-Canadian to have been drafter by a CFL team. He played professional football in the CFL for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and BC Lions from 1983 to 1988. After retiring from football, Sidoo started working in the field of brokerage. Sidoo later was one of the founding members who sold an energy company, American Oil & Gas, to the Hess Corporation. Pro football career David Sidoo was drafted 46th overall by the BC Lions in the 1982 CFL Draft. Sidoo would go on to sign and play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders for a significant part of his pro football career as well as become the first Indo-Canadian player to play in the CFL. After signing with the Roughriders, Sidoo gifted his $5,000 signing bonus to his mom to help her pay her mortgage after his father died. In 1988 he signed with the BC Lions where he would finish out his pro football career and enter into the start of what would be a successful career as a businessman and philanthropist. == Philanthropy ==

Sidoo is known for his philanthropic work in British Columbia, through his personal contributions and the charitable organisations founded by his family through their various business ventures. In recognition of his charitable work, Sidoo received the Order of British Columbia, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the Non-Resident Indian Award in 2012. The 13th Man Foundation is dedicated to providing student-athletes of UBC with exceptional athletic and academic opportunities. In 2015 the foundation donated $800,000 to set up the UBC Football Academic Centre. Located just steps away from Thunderbird Stadium, the UBC Football Academic Centre provides a space for all players to receive academic tutoring and advising. With more than 1,800-square-feet of multi-functional space, the centre is also used for team meetings, game preparation and academic supervision. The facility will help ensure the success of current players and serve as an essential tool in the recruitment of top student-athletes who visit the Point Grey campus in hopes of suiting up for the Thunderbirds Football program. The Sidoo Family Athletics Endowment, which dispenses aid to student athletes, is the largest of its kind at UBC, where Sidoo served on the board of governors. == Legal issues ==

College admissions bribery In March 2019, Sidoo was named as one of the alleged parent perpetrators of the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal. Multiple sources reported on allegations Sidoo had paid money to illegally aid his two sons in getting accepted into American colleges. As alleged in the FBI indictment, Sidoo paid $100,000 to have a test-taker impersonate his older son, so that the latter's SAT test scores were improved. The scores were sent to Chapman University, which his son later attended. According to the FBI, Sidoo paid an additional $100,000 to have his younger son's test taken in the same, fraudulent way. Sidoo pleaded not guilty before a federal court in Massachusetts on 15 March 2019. to fraud in the aforementioned matter on March 13, 2020. The sentencing took place on July 15, 2020, and he was sentenced to 90 days in prison, one year supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Sidoo reported to SeaTac Federal Detention Center on September 23, 2020 and was released on December 17, 2020. Sidoo's appointment to the Order of British Columbia in 2016 was rescinded on June 12, 2020. Sidoo is the first person to be stripped of the Order. Sidoo withdrew as a member of the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame on July 31, 2020. Sidoo is inadmissible to the United States as a result of the felony conviction. SEC fraud complaint In April 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission named Sidoo in a complaint, alleging his involvement in a pump and dump scheme with Ronald Bauer. == References ==