Ethan Miller/Getty Images BYU Basketball Player Brandon Davies Reportedly Suspended For Having Sexual Relations
Brandon Davies, the BYU basketball player who was suspended from the team yesterday, has been suspended for violating the school's "honor code." For the last 24 hours we have all been wondering exactly what that might entail, with theories of theft, drugs, alcohol, etc. Well, it looks like we finally found an answer to the question.
The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that Davies was suspended from the team because he had premarital sex. While that may not sound like the most egregious act in the world, in the Mormon book that is one of the worst sins that a person can commit. He did have sex with his girlfriend, so it's not like he just picked up someone off the street and had sex with some random person.
Davies did apologize to his team to his teammates yesterday before their game against New Mexico. He is still in school, at least for the time being, but he isn't able to play for the basketball team. School officials are still discussing the matter to determine if he will be allowed to stay at BYU to finish his degree.
BYU lost their first game without Davies last night against New Mexico, 82-64. However, they lost New Mexico earlier in the year with Davies, so New Mexico could just have BYU's number.
Davies will be missed by this team as they enter the tournament later this month. He was the third leading scorer for the team with 11 points per game, and he led the team in rebounding at just over six per game
It's refreshing to see a program that has an honor code actually live up to that code despite the implications that it could have on the basketball team, which was a borderline final four team before losing Davies.
I am not a Mormon or one who pretends to understand all the little nuances that go into being a religious person, so I don't know just how big of a deal premarital sex is. Apparently, people in Utah, especially the people in charge at BYU, take this kind of thing very seriously, so I guess that it's best to respect the rules that they have set in place.
In a world where we would be willing to sell almost anything to see our favorite team win a championship, you have to give credit to BYU for learning about the situation and doing what they believe to be the right thing.
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