Accountability vs. College Athletics

Yesterday, BYU suspended its starting Center of the men's basketball team for the remainder of the season citing an unspecified Honor Code violation. With just two conference games remaining before the conference tourney and then the NCAA Tournament, the 3rd ranked Cougars could not have had this happen at a worse time. Without their starting Center, many observers doubt BYU's ability to go deep into the NCAA's.

When news of the suspension broke the sports message boards became inflammed with hatred towards BYU and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The intolerance, misinformation and pure, disgusting hatred being written simply turned my stomach. To say I was appalled or aghast doesn't even come close. Instead of commenting on the basketball ramifications for BYU, this was turned into an anti-Mormon rant that thousands of people fell into.Well, I didn't read too many posts because of the vitriol being vomited by these supposed sports fans.

I wrote the following response to the Deseret News:

"No one should judge Davies about his Honor Code violation. These athletes are under intense pressure and scrutiny. Non-athletic students would likely fold under the same circumstances.
Also, no one should jump all over BYU for this development. Brandon Davies agreed to abide by the rules when he accepted his scholarship. He infracted the rules, and is being held accountable. It's a tough lesson to learn; but an incredibly valuable one.
Too bad most basketball fans [clearly] have no grasp on the concept of personal accountability. Otherwise, the sports boards yesterday wouldn't have been filled with ridicule and hostility towards BYU and the LDS Church for the decision to suspend Davies just before the start of the NCAA Touney."

There is a lot of money, national prestige and recruiting power on the line for BYU. This move could very well damage their ability to draw national recruits and national TV exposure in the coming years. In enforcing the University Honor Code, BYU has risen above the detritus of the naysayers and is standing by its commitment to prepare its students for a life of success on every level. Sometimes, that preparation comes in terms of mistakes and lessons learned.

We all make mistakes; but no one is above reproach, nor below the ability to learn from a mistake and then rise above that mistake and become a better person for what they have learned. Davies will, if he learns properly, rise out of this dark hour and become a better man not just for his potential career, but for the rest of his life, in all its various aspects.