BYU basketball star Brandon Davies suspended for having premarital sex: Is this OK to judge?

BYU basketball player Brandon DaviesBYU basketball player Brandon Davies is a starter and the third-leading scorer on a team that, until last night, was on a winning streak of historical proportions for the school-ranked third in the nation with a record of 27-2. What you might expect to read is a lucky third component to this story, maybe footage of an incredible half-court game-winning shot or stepping up as a key player in the NCAA tournament or even a comparison to one of the greats on the court.

Sadly, the press swirling around this 19-year old college player today is not fortunate. It was reported today that Davies was suspended for the remainder of the season for violating the school's strict honor code.

Here's where you might also expect there to be some flagrant disobedience-drinking and driving, assaulting someone, having something illegal in his pocket or one of those crimes we are all too familiar with seeing lauded athletes commit when their careers seem to be going well. But Brandon Davies is suspected of having premarital sex. [Stay tuned for what could have been a foreshadowing interview in the VIDEO below.]

Reportedly, Davies admitted to having consensual premarital sex with his girlfriend, revealed today by RadarOnline to be BYU volleyball player Danica Mendivil. Mendivil's family member who confirmed she is in a relationship with Davies also quashed rumors that she is pregnant. Having premarital sex is a violation of the Mormon-run college's honor code, which Davies committed to, as do all students attending BYU.

The honor code's instructions for living a "chaste and virtuous life" include attending church on a regular basis while abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, tea, coffee, drugs, pornography, gambling, homosexuality, and swearing, as well as premarital sex. "Feelings of attraction" are permitted.

A BYU spokesperson said that school administrators will review Davies' standing on the team next season and whether or not he will be able to return to the school at all. Teammate Jimmer Fredette said Davies apologized to his fellow Cougars.

"He told us he was sorry and let us down. We told him it's OK. Sometimes in life we make mistakes. We've got to play through it," Fredette told ESPN.

Reports say students support the suspension decision.The theme of this "mistake" has overwhelmed coverage of Davies, rumors about his girlfriend, and the honor code.

Even as the local Salt Lake Tribune hammers out different opinions about the controversial code, the message behind the mistake made continues to be called into question. Writer Gordon Monson asks why this code, which he says is stricter than the commitment made by general members of the church, is necessary and, if it is in place, why students are not offered opportunities to right their wrongs (barring actions that harm other students, etc.).

"[S]tudents, including student-athletes, at BYU agree to live by the honor code . . . but . . . they remain, in fact, human, and are therefore subject to the frailties and failures of the human condition. Short of the most egregious cases, such as instances where a perpetrator is a predator among other students, the imperfect should be worked with and helped toward abiding by the code. They should not be expelled, or banished, or kicked off the basketball team for even a series of moral transgressions," Munson writes.

On the other side, Kurt Kragthorpe writes that this shows integrity by the school for not giving preferential treatment to "prominent athletes." He says Davies' suspension follows on the heels of the dismissal of a star BYU football player in his senior season last spring, an "admirable" choice for officials to stick to rules, even if there is a huge cost to the school (Kragthorope maintains that "The Final Four is pretty much out of the picture for BYU now").

"Certainly, some BYU followers will endorse the decision and others will wish everybody could have waited until April 5, after the NCAA championship game," Kragthorpe writes in his column.

But BYU coach Dave Rose said that it was not about judging Davies' actions, but rather the commitment he made to the school.

"Everybody who comes to BYU, every student if they're an athlete or not an athlete, they make a commitment when they come. A lot of people try to judge if this is right or wrong, but it's a commitment they make. It's not about right or wrong. It's about commitment," Rose said.

Even in conflict about whether the honor code should exist, what Davies' punishment should be and how that will impact the team and the school's athletic record, it's fascinating that a 19-year-old kid's confession that he had consensual sex with his girlfriend is continually referred to as a big mistake, one of the "frailty and failures of the human condition," something to apologize for.

Isn't the mistake, as the coach said, that he violated the contract and not that he engaged in what would be seen outside the confines of this campus as a pretty normal activity for a man (not to mention a young, fit, spotlighted athlete)?

This video of Davies shows some pretty sweet plays by a player clearly poised for lots of success at BYU and perhaps, beyond. Interestingly, he also discusses whether or not he will stay in school or pursue a mission for the LDS church. And yes, he does use the word "penetration." If his conduct in this interview and on the court are any indication, Davies appears to be pretty together.


I think we should be careful not to take the value of a church-run school and apply it more widely. Yes, the students sign this commitment and he broke it. That is a violation. But do we really need to judge this basketball player for having sex with his girlfriend?

I don't think so. I think he was being a kid. A healthy, normal, lusty, rebellious kid.

My own code says that's not bad. He may need a stern talking-to about following through on his word. But I don't think he needs to be shamed any more than he already has for his other deed.

Do you think that Brandon Davies was punished fairly for violating the conduct code? Commitment or not, is it realistic for college students to abstain from premarital sex?