The Brandon Davies Controversy
It was announced on earlier this week that Brigham Young University was suspending starting forward Brandon Davies for what they called a violation of the school's honor code. Most people have sided against the school and have argued to defend Davies even though he is not complaining or seeking help himself. I believe that BYU did the right thing here. Apparently Davies' indiscretion is no different than what many young American males do while in college, which is having pre-marital sex with his girlfriend. Unfortunately, for a BYU student, this is something that is not taken lightly at all.
BYU is a private school that upholds the Mormon religious practices of the Church of the Latter-day Saints. The honor code is something that they have always taken seriously and it is only now getting in the news because of this highly publicized situation. Students are aware of this code when they attend the school, and the actually have to sign a contract to uphold the code before attending classes. This contract is why I feel that Davies must suffer the consequences of his actions. I am not sure how religious he is or if he was affiliated with the church before attending the University, but he was raised in Provo Utah where BYU is located, and his high school was actually located across the street from the school's campus. To say that he is only at the school simply for his basketball career would seem to be a stretch for me. This is why people are finding this situation difficult to understand. The young man in this situation is different from your typical college athlete in that he has signed a literal contract to conduct himself in a manner that is different from the average person. The university recognizes this and so does the religion. If he found this unfair, then he should have found another school to attend. Now I do not want to speculate about how serious the transgression was as the school and basketball coach has only stated that Davies had sex with his girlfriend. BYU alum and former basketball player himself, Danny Ainge stated this week on Boston sports station WEEI that the school administers their punishment on a case by case basis and takes the facts of the situation into account beforehand. Ainge also stated that he was led to believe that Davies' girlfriend is now pregnant. If this is true, this causes Davies to have two strikes against him in the moral clause, and thus a more severe punishment would be in order. This is probably why the team and school suspended him for the rest of the season and not just a few games.
While it is true that a number of young kids at other schools are engaging in intercourse, people need that this is not the average situation. Before condemning BYU, remember that these kids choose this life and not just the other way around. The school is putting their morals and religious beliefs first, not their basketball team. This is another thing that people are finding hard to comprehend. We are used to college athletics operating like big business. Most athletic programs do not want to sacrifice the notoriety and financial gain that a top winning season can produce. Suspending Davies for the rest of the season gives the BYU basketball team a serious hit and roadblock towards making the NCAA Final Four. The school does not care as they have put their code first. While the school has not announced what will become of Brandon Davies after this year, I wouldn't expect them to dismiss him from either the team or the school on a permanent basis. This has happened before, and by providing mental and emotional support, they are not abandoning the kid as some have suggested. They are just letting him know that there is more than just basketball for him in this world.
BYU is a private school that upholds the Mormon religious practices of the Church of the Latter-day Saints. The honor code is something that they have always taken seriously and it is only now getting in the news because of this highly publicized situation. Students are aware of this code when they attend the school, and the actually have to sign a contract to uphold the code before attending classes. This contract is why I feel that Davies must suffer the consequences of his actions. I am not sure how religious he is or if he was affiliated with the church before attending the University, but he was raised in Provo Utah where BYU is located, and his high school was actually located across the street from the school's campus. To say that he is only at the school simply for his basketball career would seem to be a stretch for me. This is why people are finding this situation difficult to understand. The young man in this situation is different from your typical college athlete in that he has signed a literal contract to conduct himself in a manner that is different from the average person. The university recognizes this and so does the religion. If he found this unfair, then he should have found another school to attend. Now I do not want to speculate about how serious the transgression was as the school and basketball coach has only stated that Davies had sex with his girlfriend. BYU alum and former basketball player himself, Danny Ainge stated this week on Boston sports station WEEI that the school administers their punishment on a case by case basis and takes the facts of the situation into account beforehand. Ainge also stated that he was led to believe that Davies' girlfriend is now pregnant. If this is true, this causes Davies to have two strikes against him in the moral clause, and thus a more severe punishment would be in order. This is probably why the team and school suspended him for the rest of the season and not just a few games.
While it is true that a number of young kids at other schools are engaging in intercourse, people need that this is not the average situation. Before condemning BYU, remember that these kids choose this life and not just the other way around. The school is putting their morals and religious beliefs first, not their basketball team. This is another thing that people are finding hard to comprehend. We are used to college athletics operating like big business. Most athletic programs do not want to sacrifice the notoriety and financial gain that a top winning season can produce. Suspending Davies for the rest of the season gives the BYU basketball team a serious hit and roadblock towards making the NCAA Final Four. The school does not care as they have put their code first. While the school has not announced what will become of Brandon Davies after this year, I wouldn't expect them to dismiss him from either the team or the school on a permanent basis. This has happened before, and by providing mental and emotional support, they are not abandoning the kid as some have suggested. They are just letting him know that there is more than just basketball for him in this world.
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