An important point that I think is being overlooked here is that the university itself has been completely mum about the reason for his violation. It was Davies himself that admitted to getting his girlfriend pregnant. From my perspective, especially as a BYU alum, it would be incredibly hypocritical for the university to give Davies a pass just because he happens to be a star on the basketball team. I think they absolutely did the right thing. They recently suspended their star running back Harvey Unga for a similar violation, and I remember it happened to a couple of guys on the football team when I was there in '97. Also, I think it's very important to realize that the culture at BYU is very different from most universities and colleges across the nation. And not that it's some kind of repressed society barely scraping by with the totalitarian regime. To hear some of you talk, BYU sounds like a total nightmare that no one would ever want to live in. In reality, most of the rules just aren't even an issue. The student body is a pretty clean cut, good natured bunch across the board. First and second year students and their relationships tend to be more silly and light-hearted. (since a good chunk of the guys are LDS and will probably go on a 2 year mission soon, they're generally considered youthful and inexperienced at life, and the girls tend to not take them very seriously) Older student relationships tend to be more "courting" than your typical college dating scene, and a significant portion of the student population is young married families. At the end of the day, BYU a church run school. This isn't about boosters or racism or making the press. It's about sticking with principles, and I applaud them for doing so.
I'll back you up on this. I went to a baptist university for my first undergrad (and no one in my family is baptist, or even remotely religious, myself included), and while it wasn't nearly as stringent as BYU, my experience was basically exactly as you put it. The level of Jesus-crazy was certainly high, especially "officially" per school policy, but for the most part, the student body was a clean-cut, mostly Christian/conservative crowd....believe it or not, they were normal people who simply had a different outlook on life. For them the "rules" simply weren't an issue. Personally, I was a partier, and of course I found a group to party with, and I certainly had more than my share of arguments with bible-beaters while I was there, but the school wasn't a friggin' cult. The bottom line is this: If you don't like the school's rules, or feel that you cannot abide by them, DON'T GO THERE. Ignorance is no defense....if Davies didn't bother researching the school or its rules and policies himself, then perhaps he was too stupid to be there in the first place.
If they're willing to take a financial hit for the principles, beyond that of putting a damper on the potential success of the team, I commend them on their commitment whether I agree with the principle or not. That said, I didn't donate money to them while hoping for a BYU ncaa title this year.
Good job by the school. I don't feel bad at all for the dude. Next time, you'll think before you strike. Tough break brother, there's always Fubu.
Credit to BYU for both sticking to their guns (i.e. not allowing special treatment for athletes) and for being crazy enough to even have this policy in the first place.
Of course. I mean in the tournament. As for why? Good for them for sticking to what they believe, but I personally think its a r****ded reason to kick someone off the team. Makes sense though considering the school.
