I was watching SportCenter the other day when I heard the report about the BYU basketball team kicking a member off their squad for "undisclosed reasons." This was big news. Brandon Davies was the Cougars starting center, third leading scorer, and leading rebounder. BYU was having an incredible season, ranked in the top five, and fighting for a possible number one seed in the NCAA tournament.
A student being suspended or dismissed for "undisclosed reasons" is a relatively common occurrence in Collegiate athletics. Immediately I thought about the possibility of this student being caught cheating in school. Cam Newton was accused of cheating while at Florida, the Florida State football team suspended a third of its team for a bogus online class that someone took for them, and historically, many papers have been turned in with players names which others created.
Wait. Maybe Brandon had dealings with an agent. Didn't A. J. Green, the Georgia wide receiver, have to sit out a few games for accepting money from an agent? Wasn't the North Carolina football team shorthanded because their players were connected to agents? Maybe this kid accepted money.
Or drugs. Performance enhancing or recreational. Either way, drugs were a real possibility. Steroids are all over the place. Or maybe the kid failed a urine test after running to Fat Burger for a little midnight snack. Was it last year or the year before, when the best player for Gonzaga got busted with a bag full of magic mushrooms in the back of his car?
Actually, it ended up being none of the above. BYU dismissed Brandon Davies for an "Honor Code Violation." Brandon had pre-marital sex with his girlfriend.
No criminal charges were filed as Brandon and his girlfriend were both consenting adults of legal age. There was no 911 call, no Charlie Sheen like activities going on, no Chris Brown and Rihanna suspense. Brandon Davies simply broke a rule of the team. A rule of the University. And was dismissed for breaking it.
The code of BYU and the Mormon Church are pretty clear for all those who attend the University. No drugs, no alcohol, no caffeine, clean language, no facial hair, attend Church regularly, and no pre-marital sexual relations.
Let's just say that most of us would be dismissed as well.
I wanted to write this blog in defense of Brandon and the absurdity of the rules that caused his dismissal. But I can't. I respect our Nation's freedom of religion, and the rules applied. Brandon knew the rules clearly when he signed on at the University. All of BYU students and athletes are aware of the code.
In most of our worlds, not only would we not follow such a code, but we would hesitate to ever turn someone else in for breaking them. But the reporting of those who break the code, is ironically, part of the code.
In a way, BYU showed how their faith overrules everything. Brandon Davies was allowed to stay at BYU and continue his academics, while the Cougars went out the next day and lost by 20 points to an average New Mexico team. The Cougars lost their chances at a one seed, lost their swagger, and most likely, have lost their chances to advance during tournament time.
Can you imagine Kentucky, Louisville, or Florida doing the same?
As a matter of fact. I think BYU should petition to have all NCAA players who drink alcohol, do drugs, drink caffeine, have facial hair, use foul language, or have pre-marital sex be immediately suspended as well.
That would assure the Cougars a spot in the championship game....and no opponent.
No comments:
Post a Comment