Last week, BYU dismissed one of its top basketball players from the team, for violating the school’s honor code. The crime? Having premarital sex with his girlfriend. Brandon Davies, a sophomore power forward for the team, who was a key outlet in the post ranking third on the team in points and first in rebounds before his suspension, is awaiting a decision on not only whether he can remain with the team in the future, but whether he will be able to remain at the school.
Comparing Davies’ act to other violations committed by college athletes, is like comparing shoplifting a pack of gum to murder in the first degree. Today, college sports is filled with athletes with criminal records, and a reputation for prioritizing sports first, partying second and studying third. Of course, that is not to say that all college athletes are troublemakers; most are probably working hard in school, and besides being athletes, try to live like any other college student would. But, compared to what some other college athletes get away with, Davies’ act wouldn’t even come up as a blip on the screen. Then again, BYU is not any other school.
Brigham Young University is famous for its strict rules, being that it is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons). The school requires all of its students to refrain from things such as academic dishonesty, extramarital sex, and drug and alcohol use. Students even have to follow a set of dress and grooming rules, and are not allowed to have beards or goatees or wear revealing clothing.
So for BYU, it didn’t matter that the basketball team is currently in the middle of arguably its best season ever, Davies was not going to be let off the hook. No suspension that starts next year after Jimmer Fredette is gone, no stern talking to without suspension, no having to wait for the NCAA to get involved; BYU stood by its standards, no matter how rigorous and strict they are.
Of course, one can say that if a school with such deep religious affiliation did not stand firm by its own guidelines, then there would be no hope for any school to comply with NCAA rules, let alone their own. But, BYU did not need to suspend Davies, there was no NCAA rep hounding them for suspensions and information, they did so on their own accord, and quite frankly that deserves a lot of credit in today’s college athletics climate.
But BYU is not the only one that deserves credit. Brandon Davies also deserves a ton of respect. OK, maybe not respect – he did violate the school’s laws – but still, the fact that a college sophomore decided to come out and admit to what he did, fully knowing the consequences he could face, took a heck of a lot of courage. He could just have easily kept what he did a secret, never admitting what he did to the school or waiting at least until after the tournament. But he decided to admit to his wrongs. That took more principle and courage than most 19 year olds would be able to summon.
Some can say that Davies knew what he was getting into when he went to BYU; he grew up in nearby Provo, Utah, and similar to every other kid and therefore should have been expected not only to follow the school’s rules but also admit to his wrongdoings. It is true that he should not have broken the rules in the first place, and by admitting his wrongs, he’s letting down his team, but being a college kid he’s expected to make some mistakes. What he is not expected to do at such a young age is handle making that mistake in such a mature way.
Most people have laughed off this story, wondering how BYU could even think to suspend him, even dismiss him from the school for something that has essentially become acceptable for a large portion of society. But different people have different beliefs and principles, and in an atmosphere where those beliefs and principles are constantly being compromised and looked over, it is finally nice to see both a college team and athlete put more importance on winning the right way, than just winning.
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