Brigham Young University has suspended one of its star basketball players for violating the school's honor code. Six-foot-9 forward Brandon Davies' transgression: Having sex with his girlfriend.
The honor code at the Mormon-affiliated university requires students to "live a chaste and virtuous life." In addition to premarital sex, students are also required to attend church regularly and abstain from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea, coffee and substance abuse. "Davies will be suspended from the team for the rest of the season and, according to [a] spokeswoman, his future at the school has yet to be determined," reports the Washington Post.
Davies is also "one of only three Black players on the team," which ranked third nationally, reports Outsports. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints officially ended its historical exclusion and teachings against Blacks in 1978.
Davies' suspension was announced Wednesday before the team faced off against New Mexico. BYU was upset 82-64. On Saturday, the team clinched a 102-79 victory over Wyoming. Davies was "allowed to help the team cut down the net after they clinched a share of the conference regular season title," reports the New York Daily News.
"If the school was willing to suspend its top-ranked basketball team’s leading rebounder and No. 3 scorer for having sex with his girlfriend," asks Outsports. "What would they do to a gay student? The students would be lucky if they were only kicked out."
Is this surprising to anyone? Honestly?
Posted by: Ursovain | 07 March 2011 at 07:30
Outsports has totally the wrong tack on this issue. You go to BYU, you sign a statement saying you'll live by their code of conduct. Everyone admitted is at least literate enough to read that and you best believe they make sure you understand all of it.
You want to have sex (with anyone), have wine with dinner, or have that morning cup o' Java? Don't attend BYU. It's really that simple.
Posted by: iByron | 07 March 2011 at 09:03
Well...he knew the rules when he decided to attend a Mormon school so...lesson learned.
Posted by: Osiris | 07 March 2011 at 09:09
I agree with Ursovain,...meh. The school's rules are stupid but it's not like he was forced to agree to them or attend the school. There's hundreds of better schools you can attend and screw your girlfriend. Send his premarital sex havin ass off campus,..straight to my house! 6'9"? Whew! Yes!
While I disagree with this school's guidelines, I fully agree with their right to have and enforce them.
Posted by: Procrastination_Xtravaganza | 07 March 2011 at 09:15
This is difficult-- on the one hand the "rules" are really crazy. I am not sure how such honor code issues are investigated, and I personally think these types of codes are invasions of privacy.
On the other hand, *nobody* can accuse BYU of only being interested in winning. In these days when player arrest, family corruption and failure to attend class are simply overlooked and excused to get a "W" it is a bit refreshing to see an institution say that they will stand by what they believe.
Posted by: Kevjack | 07 March 2011 at 09:17
The policy is outdated. And I have no love lost for the racist gay bashing Mormon. But I begrudgingly agree with Kevjack,iByron, Procrastination and the others.
BYU is a private, religious school and is entitled to enforce its rules. And I agree that it is refreshing to see a school that is not interested in winning at all costs.
That said, I would ask do they enforce all cases or is random? Are "we" penalized more than others? Because study after study has shown that schools discipline black male students much harsher than white students.
/
Posted by: Talarico | 07 March 2011 at 10:02
Why bother to go to a school like that? It's almost as absurd as LGBT adults making their kids go to religious private schools because some emotional attachment to whatever religious institution they have ties with, knowing the negative and harmful consequences of doing so and that said institutions have the RIGHT to exclude whoever they don't they see fit, only to complain about the marginalization they're facing.
Bigoted, primitive, and discriminatory the rules maybe, they unfortunately have that very right to do so. That is something that cannot be challenged and by left the way it is. It IS a private institution after all.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 07 March 2011 at 12:01
Chastity is admirable. It's a shame that people look down on it. But I have to wonder how his transgression was found out.
Posted by: Gaby | 07 March 2011 at 13:17
Davies turned himself in, so there is no "we" being penalized more than others here.
And I assume other students who violate the agreement would also suffer penalties.
I wont turn this into any religious debate. BYU can do as they please. I think it's silly, but rules are rules and I'm guessing Davies wasnt forced into signing with the school.
Posted by: ff | 07 March 2011 at 13:17
It sucks that this has happened to him but he did bring it on himself by going to that school and agreeing to live by "their rules" I wish him all the best in what ever happens from here on out in his life though.
I am anti religion in pretty much every aspect but when you go to this school and you sign a document saying you are going to live by their "standards" then you have to do it.
I wish he had chosen another school and I'm sure at this point he does too but he had sex in his bed and now he has to lay in....well wait a minute, now he can have even more sex in it so how is this a bad thing again? lol
Posted by: JinCA | 07 March 2011 at 14:03
Tough. He went to a school, as others have pointed out, where you sign certain pledges and make certain oaths. I can't defend him on this one. This is the risk you take going to schools like this.
Posted by: The other guy | 07 March 2011 at 14:40
I agree with most of you. There are lots of choices for colleges. These are the rules you agreed with when you accepted the invitation to matriculate at BYU.
My only question is, who blabbed? Was it that good that the girl just couldn't keep it to herself?
Posted by: FREELEO | 07 March 2011 at 14:57
Freeleo: Apparently the girlfriend's roommate reported the couple. Not confirmed, tho. -RM
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Posted by: New Jordans 2011 | 07 March 2011 at 21:43
I seriously doubt that after getting it in with his girlfriend that he is going to stop now. He should go to a school where he can practice his faith and live his life according to his own personal beliefs. Everyone who is part of any religious group don't always believe in EVERY aspect of the faith. I am sure another college would love to have him and his girlfriend can continue to have him as well.
Posted by: BLACK | 08 March 2011 at 07:00
Living on an island that has a branch of BYU, I can tell you that the students there are absolutely notorious for all their “extracurriculars,” maybe because they’ve been repressed so.
So I guess this a rule only for athletes, probably because they’re supposed to be role models.
My advice to Brandon is to get married. As many times as he wants.
Posted by: Jim | 09 March 2011 at 00:37