BYU Basketball: Victories or Values? Would Any Other D1 Program Make the Same Decision?

Brandon Davies was a good, up-and-coming player on a top ranked team that most people in the country didn't know...until a few days ago.

Davies was dismissed from Brigham Young's basketball team after he admitted to having sexual relations with his girlfriend, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Wednesday.

At most schools, this scenario wouldn't be talked about, it wouldn't be news.

But at BYU, this is a violation of the university's Honor Code, which states that:

"...faculty, administration, staff, and students of Brigham Young University, Brigham Young University—Hawaii, Brigham Young University—Idaho, and LDS Business College seek to demonstrate in daily living on and off campus those moral virtues encompassed in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and will

"Be honest
Live a chaste and virtuous life
Obey the law and all campus policies
Use clean language
Respect others
Abstain from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea, coffee, and substance abuse
Participate regularly in church services
Observe the Dress and Grooming Standards
Encourage others in their commitment to comply with the Honor Code"

Is the decision to dismiss Davies from the team a right decision? Is it fair? Should the university have overlooked this indiscretion for the sake of the opportunity that the basketball team has before them?

Some struggle with the decision by the school because they feel that an individual's personal life is a private matter. But one of the facts of life of going to a faith-based school like BYU, is that they almost always have personal conduct standards by which the faculty, administration, staff and students are expected to follow.

This is never a secret expectation. It is usually talked about during the admissions process. At BYU, students must "be in good Honor Code standing to be admitted to, continue enrollment at and graduate."

Various people have stated that they don't think any other D-1 college or university in the country would have made the same decision. The fact is there is a handful schools that have similar personal conduct standards as BYU.

For example, at Oral Roberts University, whose men's basketball team plays in the Summit League, has an Honor Code Pledge that says students "will not engage in...sexual intercourse with one who is not (my) spouse."

Liberty University, a member of the Big South Conference, has a Personal Code of Honor that forbids "non-marital sexual relations."

At Belmont University of the Atlantic Sun Conference, their Code of Conduct states that "persons engaged in sexual misconduct are subject to disciplinary action."

While we cannot know how these schools would definitely handle a similar decision as Davies', it is easy to imagine that they too would dismiss a starting player on the basketball team.

Samuel Richardson said, "Calamity is the test of integrity."

When faced with a decision about what was easy or what was consistent with their beliefs, BYU chose values over victories. Rather than feeling forced to compromise or cover the truth about what happened, Davies, the administration and the athletic department came clean.

Last night, when the basketball team played their first game without Davies, they began walking down a road that they still hope will end up with a trip to the Final Four in Houston.