BYU Honour Code - An Investigation

You may remember a little more than a month back, when Brigham Young University's third-leading scorer and leading rebounder Brandon Davies was kicked-off the school's men's basketball team for a violation of the school's "Honour Code."

BYU is a Mormon university in Provo, Utah, that has a code of conduct all students must agree to. All students are obligated to sign said "Honour Code" stating that it is a direct violation if a student swears, consumers tobacco, alcohol or caffeine, and takes part in any sexual activity, regardless of if it's with somebody else or alone.

That last statement pretty much eliminates anybody I've ever known from attending the school.

By booting Davies from the team, the school put ethics before athletic success and was heralded by the media as standing-up for their belief system. Sports Illustrated even went so far as to claim BYU as "America's Team".

Like Hova said, pardon me as I laugh at that, but a school built on such strong ethical standards is hardly the mirror image of a gluttonous, morbidly obese people consumed by their own consumption.

Moving on.

Don't misinterpret what I'm saying - I am not one to judge different belief systems and their standards. Nor am I one to judge a privately funded University who stipulates the importance of maintaining such ethical standards, regardless of how unrealistic they may be.

The issue I have with such decisions to at best, suspend students, is that it appears with a little investigating that specific students were singled-out based on such stipulations that do not by any means present a microcosm of the University's enrollment.

Deadspin resident wordsmith Luke O'Brien and ex-BYU professor Darren Smith have compiled all of the valid evidence, creating a well-supported case that minority student athletes, namely black athletes, were made an example of by the school.

Please take the time to click on the links below and draw your own conclusions. The main piece is brilliantly written and constructed by Mr's. O'Brien and Smith, keeping in mind that evidence is well-provided and Mr. Smith himself had an experience with the school's "Honour Code".


1). THE TRUTH ABOUT RACE, RELIGION, AND THE HONOR CODE AT BYU - DEADSPIN APRIL 13th.

2). TWO DECADES OF HONOR CODE VIOLATIONS: A GALLERY

3). IN HIS OWN WORDS: RAY HUDSON, RUNNING BACK (2004 - 06)

4). IN HIS OWN WORDS: TICO PRINGLE, DEFENSIVE BACK (2006)