Here’s a contrast for you: Appalachian State University is on the verge of starting a full-fledged brew master program while Brigham Young University just suspended one of it’s best basketball players for having sex with his girlfriend. That’s right, he got fouled for illegal dunking! 😉
As a guy who has both a son and a daughter, can you guess where I’d like to send each of them to college?
The player is 19 year-old Brandon Davies, a 6″ 9′, 235 pound star Forward for BYU. He has admitted to having premarital sex with his girlfriend, an offense punishable by suspension.
His athletic suspension began on Wednesday, and the first game he missed is the one that likely knocked BYU out of the NCAA Tournament, as they lost to unranked New Mexico in a stunning upset. The good news is that Brandon is still able to continue his education while the suspension is reviewed by a panel of crusty Mormons. Hopefully he’ll find a way to stay in school.
Honestly, I really didn’t think things like this happened anymore. Davies didn’t commit a crime or hurt anyone, and it’s a little shocking to think that this transgression of the BYU “honor code” would get him kicked off of the team.
And what does this have to do with beer and whiskey you ask? Well, it’s a good reminder that the Prohibitionist attitude is alive and well in the nooks and crannies of our society. Both banning booze and what happened to Brandon are instances of forced morality, where people with sway make others follow their doctrine or suffer the consequences.
Both make me bristle, and both serve as a sign that even in these seemingly lenient times, we must be wary of those who long to take away our ability to decide what we do with our lives and our bodies.
That said, Brandon knew the deal and agreed to the rules when he decided to go to BYU, so I guess it’s really his own damn fault. Still, it’s a heavy burden to put on a kid that committed no crimes and is a threat to no one. It’s not like he’s Jerramy Stevens.
Okay I’m through – being up so high on my soapbox has made me dizzy.
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Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
Funny, Mike and Mike got a lot of email about this today, and the majority of folks side with the school. I think people think our morality as a whole in the society has gone awry, and this is seen as a just punishment for violation of the University’s “moral Code”.
Having lived in the heart of Mormon country, however I must say that what bothers me about this is not a University enforcing its standards, but how hypocritical these standards are to begin with. The Mormon church teaches their women from the time they are old enough to understand that their only value is in being a wife and a mother. Most of the women at BYU are there to find a husband and that is it. So the idea that they would Hve SEX??? that is morally outrageous…please. Give me a break. That entire religion is founded on sex and they know it. I wonder if Jimmer Ferdet was caught having inappropriate relations with his girlfriend, or heaven forbid he was Gay, if he would suffer the same consequence? It is a little easier to suspend an 8-11 point per game scorer than to suspend your poster child who averages 40 points per game. It’s all so hypocritical.
I agree that he knew the rules and broke them, so he should suffer the consequences.
I’m mostly just surprised the rules exist at all. I get that it’s against Mormon ethics to have premarital sex, but I had no idea that it was something that might get you booted from school.
I wouldn’t call this a case of “forced morality”. It’s a private “faith” based school and you know the rules going in to it. Play with balls, not boobs young man…. well unless it’s your sister or daughter. Good ol Mormons!
Not a lot of branches in those family trees back in Eastern Idaho. More like braided trunks.
Ouch!
I think we should all go out and drink some Polygamy Porter.
That’s a good point. If they allowed sex with multiple partners outside of marriage there wouldn’t be so many Mormons out there.
If a public university had done this, I’d be more than a little ticked off, but when one takes a free ride from a religious-based school, there are some things you can’t ride. If he’s got enough talent to start at BYU, he and his girlfriend should transfer to somewhere like USC, where they can just do it and he can stay on the court.
One positive for he and his girlfriend is they have more time for their leisurely pursuits.
Thing is the kid’s from Provo and wants to be at BYU, which I imagine makes this hard on him.
But you’re right. At USC, they could do it ON the court.
Your comments about Mormon women are lacking in reality and full of ignorance. I’m sure you like it that way or you would take the time to check your facts. Don- I find it hard to believe you ever lived in “Mormon Country” — unless you did so with your eyes and ears closed. You see, I”m Mormon (from Ohio), completed my last semester at BYU-Provo before graduating from Kent State University with a BS in public relations, had a career in public relations in Utah Valley after I graduated and married at age 28 to a great Mormon guy from Michigan. After having 2 kids, I went back to school for my Bachelor of Science in Nursing and currently work at a local pediatric hospital AND as a prn school nurse in Ohio. No church leader or class or friend EVER told me that my only “value is in being a wife and mother.” The church has never taught anything of the sort – please don’t take my word for it — church publications and every LDS Worldwide Conference talk is available in print, video or audio at http://www.lds.org. My greatest JOY in life is being a wife, mother, sister, daughter… Ask any happily married wife/mother of ANY faith… I guarantee the majority will tell you something similar. Don’t slam what you don’t understand and mock people for having morals and values. And why criticize a university that expects students and staff to have integrity, make commitments and keep them. No one forces students to attend – they compete for a spot. Let’s see if you sports guys have the guts to post some comments from females…
You tell him, Kristi! It’s not the first time Don has put his foot in his mouth (his teeth should benmisshapen by his toes by now), but I still LOVE it when he gets hollered at. You’ll find he’s an Idiot, but give him some time and you’ll realize he’s a mostly harmless one.
Thanks Jim. I usually don’t bother to comment on posts like Don’s – but I had just finished a 12 hr night shift, got the kiddos on the bus and was feeling ornery. Thanks for the reply!
OK, Kristy, perhaps I should differentiate between Eastern Mormons and the backwater Idaho Mormons I was thinking about when I made that comment. You know the ones with multiples, and like to sleep with the daughters of their new wives. Don’t pretend like that doesn’t happen because I KNOW it does. And I have witnessed first hand how devastating the “Morman” lifestyle can be to little girl’s self esteem. Don’t go getting preachy unless you are prepared to defend all the actions of the church, and not just the ones they print up in the glossy brochures. And you should know that several of my best friends are Mormon and we have these discussions all the time. Don’t tell me the Mormon church doesn’t oppress women, because even though they aren’t supposed to it happens, and it happens in the name of the Angel Moroni more than you would care to think about. It is sad and true and awful. Rural Eastern Idaho is a long long way away from progressive and intelligent Ohio and Michigan. And yes perhaps I have cast a wide net here, but this is where the church Leaders are born and raised and I have seen some pretty bad shit.
Thanks for responding Don. Just a thought to ponder…. I can say that I’m the President of the United States all day long, but it doesn’t make it true. These people you describe in your post are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints/Mormon. I’m with you that people who prey upon children are truly evil and disgusting — but they come from all walks of life/faiths. There are plenty of unbalanced people out there that claim to be something they aren’t – maybe out of some attempt to elevate themselves out of the muck. Or, they dabble in different religions claiming them as their own until teachings/values/meeting hours don’t validate their lifestyle. Whatever. I apologize if I sound “preachy” but it adds a nice balance to your idiotic comment that the LDS Church is “founded on sex and they know it.” Don’t ya think?
Last thing: Brandon Davies never had to say anything about breaking the BYU Honor Code. No one would have known. Brandon could have waited for the season to end. Instead, he chose to OWN IT and take steps to make things right, honor his faith AND be a man of his word. We all make mistakes and suffer the consequences — but rarely so publicly. Now that takes courage.
Without rules where would society be? Without consequences why bother with rules? I haven’t heard that Brandon is complaining about his consequences, so why is everyone else?
You Mormons may have made a few societal adjustments to fit in here or there (polygamy, racism, sexism, etc.), but those values are still expressed in your religious guidebooks. If your religion is no longer like that (thank reason and societal condemnation for that), why not admit that those verses were wrong in the first place? Why not edit them out or better yet, throw it all away? Besides, you can still keep your magic undies.
Man some heat in here. Most people understand why the kid got suspended, he broke a rule and admitted it. I have no problems with this. My only problem is it brings up reasons to talk about beliefs. I mean kristi seems like any normal person who was treated with respect and able to reach her full potential while don has seen the dark side of what a certain belief system can do. there’s no winning, only nuetral ground. Dons case: his toyota craps out after 50k miles. Kristi’s case: her toyota lasts over 300k no problems. Who will say what about toyota? The point is there’s no denying that ANY belief system has its skeletons. But mormonism is one of the easier ones. Oh well a little Makers Mark night cap
Good point, Scott, I’ve really seen the seemy underbelly of Mormonism, but to be fair, I’ve also seen much good from the church. It is a mixed bag to say the least. I guess I’ll leave it at that.
Hey retard…BYU may get a #1 seed in the tournament. Knocked out of the tournament? Do you even watch basketball or are you just wrapped in the fact that a college student at BYU got his dick wet? Illegal dunking…are you trying to be funny? I don’t know how much basketball you watch between playing the SIMS an World of Warcraft…But maybe you should take up another profession, or topic at least. Sports is certainly not your strongpoint.
If you’ve looked at the top of the site, you’ll see we don’t call ourselves the Basketball Brothers and we don’t claim to be sports experts. So it seems we have no need to take up another topic, as we have tons of hands-on experience with beer and whiskey.
And please don’t call me a retard. It’s offensive, especially because that’s what we call Don. 😉
While they may not get knocked out of the tournament like my half wit brother said, I’m guessing they will drop 2 or 3 seeds and will make an early exit. Jimmer Furdette is great, but he needed those boards and Davies 8-12 points per game to make a real run. Any way you slice it, this suspension spells disaster for BYU Basketball this year. Oh yeah, I’m the retarded one.