The third-ranked BYU men’s basketball team might’ve just lost a shot at the national championship because one of their starting forwards had sex with his girlfriend.
At least, that’s one way to look at Brandon Davies’ suspension from the team.
On Tuesday, Davies, a sophomore, was suspended for the remainder of the season for violating the school’s honor code. Then, last night, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that Davies’ violation was that he had sex with his girlfriend (who is now a top Google search topic).
BYU is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Every student agrees to the strict honor code when he or she enrolls in the school. Here’s what it entails:
- Be honest
- Live a chaste and virtuous life
- Obey the law and all campus policies
- Use clean language
- Respect others
- Abstain from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea, coffee and substance abuse
- Participate regularly in church services
- Observe the Dress and Grooming Standards
- Encourage others in their commitment to comply with the Honor Code
I don’t know one college student who could’ve adhered to all those rules. Not one. No alcohol? Good one. No sex? Well, maybe, but not by choice. No coffee or tea? Not a chance. But whether these standards are realistic or moral or ethical isn’t the issue here.
BYU head basketball coach, Dave Rose, put it best:
Everybody who comes to BYU, every student if they’re an athlete or not an athlete, they make a commitment when they come. A lot of people try to judge if this is right or wrong, but it’s a commitment they make. It’s not about right or wrong. It’s about commitment.
Yes, Davies is a college kid. And, like it or not, college kids have sex. Realistically, he’s not the only BYU athlete who’s had sex. He might not even be the only guy on his team. We don’t know. Unfortunately, for Davies, sex breaks a code at BYU. It’s a code Davies knew about and committed to when he enrolled in the school.
Sure, the standards are high—absurdly so. But at least there’s some kind of standard.
We bash schools for letting players slide, catering suspensions to the benefit of the school, and delaying punishment until the most convenient time. So doesn’t BYU deserve some credit for effectively ending any chance they had at a national championship—and all the money and exposure that comes along with it—to preserve the integrity of their code of conduct?
Davies isn’t a bad kid. He seems to be genuinely upset and remorseful. He might even still have a future at BYU and with the basketball team. The team isn’t a title contender without him. But, as much as it sucks—and it really does—he broke a rule. And, for once, a school is taking the corresponding action.
—Photo AP/Colin E. Braley
I think this was the right decision. The honor code might seem strict to some, but BYU is a Mormon school, and the majority of its students abide by the honor code in their everyday life, not because the school presses it onto them. Surely at BYU there are some students who aren’t as strict, might not be 100% practicing Mormons, or might not be Mormon at all. But when you decide to go to BYU, whether you’re Mormon or not, you agree to follow the Honor Code and must face the consequences if you don’t, or if you get… Read more »
AGREED!
I see the more things change, the more they stay the same. I was a student at BYU in the late 60’s. I partied with athletes from a variety of sports. I raised more than one cup around the keg with the team physician (pillar of community; active LDS church member). I was told by one football player that when he participated in recruiting, he was handed a wad of cash by the coach and told, “Wine, women, song — whatever it takes to get this young man to play for our team.” I rest my case.
Poor guy. Getting into an ethical quandary is understandable. I’m going to point fingers at the church, ultimately– sure, this guy did violate his ethical code, but it was predicated on an unreasonable moral code. He was set up to fail from the get go.
Serves him right for going to BYU. If there’s no alcohol and no sex, what’s the point of college?? The majority of my college education occurred well outside of the classroom.
And another thing….What sorry ass snitch, made it their business to tell everyone that Davies was having sex with his girlfriend. So at BYU they can have girlfriends but no sex. What about blowjobs (oral) handjobs, I mean make them not be allowed to have girlfriends. Did she get suspended from the school (was she even a student)
Wrong. The decision to have sex killed the title hopes. Maybe Davies should have gone to school in the SEC, then he could have had sex and gotten paid for it too