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Jim McMahon On BYU Honor Code “I saw a lot of hypocrisy when I was there. That’s what turned me off about it.”
The BYU Cougars continue to dominate the headlines of college basketball as we inch closer-and-closer to “March Madness” time, but this year it looks to be for all the wrong reasons. BYU is currently ranked #3 in the country behind player of the year candidate, Jimmer Fredette, who is the top scorer in the NCAA. The Cougars were poised to make a big run in March, but news broke out this week that starting forward, Brandon Davies, has been dismissed from BYU for the remainder of the season because he violated the team’s sacred honor code. A little rundown here of Brandon Davies value to the Cougars from our guys here at SRI concludes: This is a significant blow because Davies started 26 of their 29 games and was the team’s leading rebounder as well. Without him, the Cougars lose one of the few big men that they have on their roster and will be forced to play even more up-tempo than they do right now.
In the last twenty-four hours we have come to find out the reason why Davies was dismissed and it was due to the fact that he had sex with his girlfriend. Apparently that is a no-no in Cougars land. Here are all the facts on BYU’s honor code, but most sports fan would argue this truly is an atrocity that this young man was thrown off the basketball team due to his off the court relationship with his girlfriend. I think we all understand BYU has an honor code that each player knows of going into school, but maybe there needs to be some revising because honestly can anyone bet that 75% of the team or school follows this rule. At the end of the day it’s a crushing blow to the basketball program as they were demolished by New Mexico, 82-64, in their first game since Davies’ dismissal. Jim McMahon attended BYU before his glory days in Chicago. He chimed in on the BYU honor code madness.
Jim McMahon joined WQAM with Gino Torretta and Steve White to discuss what was his reaction was to Brandon Davies being dismissed from BYU after violating the honor code, how much has the honor code changed since he went to BYU with the advent of the internet, if Jimmer Fredette violated the honor code would he have been thrown off the team, did he know the honor code existed when he first decided to go to BYU and does the administration abide by the honor code that the students are under.
We’ve been talking about the honor code and Brandon Davies. We know it’s BYU, but what is your reaction?
“That doesn’t surprise me. It’s been going on for years there so. I actually just read that on the ESPN deal you know he [Brandon Davies] got kicked out for having sex with his girlfriend. That’s part of their code I guess, but I know it happens. I know it’s been happening for years, but some guys get caught, some guys don’t.”
How much has it changed since you went to BYU with the advent of the internet. Would you imagine it’s the same honor code you had to follow?
“Well I wouldn’t imagine it’s any different. Like you said with all the things going on nowadays the IPhones, tweets, and all this kind of crap, I mean I don’t see the campus any differently. I mean they’re college kids, man they’re going to do things. You know sometimes people will tell on you and sometimes they won’t.”
BYU has the leading the scorer in the country on their team. If Jimmer Fredette would have violated the code would he have been thrown off the team if he violated the honor code?
“Well again that’s…I don’t know what they would have done. Like I said I’m sure there’s other players on that team and probably in the whole school who are still doing things they probably shouldn’t according to the honor code, but it happens.”
Did you know this honor code existed when you got there? Did they explain it to you?
“They explain it to you. They say ‘Oh we have this honor code. People will probably talk to you about the religion and this and that.’ They said ‘All you have to do is tell them I’m not interested.’ But I have to say I’m not interested for five years before I get out. It was everyday you get hounded by it.”
I gotta think the people who are enforcing these rules are not abiding by all of them? They have to have skeletons in their closet don’t they?
“Well I saw a lot of hypocrisy when I was there and that’s what turned me off about it. Guys in administration, higher ups, sneaking off for coffee, these kinds of things that are supposedly illegal too yet some people get away with it and some don’t.”
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