Premarital sex might have cost BYU a chance at the national championship.
The No. 3-ranked Cougars suspended their starting center for the rest of the season after he admitted having sex with his girlfriend, a violation of the school's honor code, The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting.
Sophomore Brandon Davies apologized to the team this week and was "extremely remorseful, heartbroken," a source told the paper, adding that Davies has accepted his punishment. Without Davies, the Cougars lost at home 82-64 to unranked New Mexico Wednesday.
Brigham Young University, which is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced that Davies will be allowed to stay in school while his situation is reviewed by the Honor Code Office, the paper reports.
His teammate, Jimmer Fredette, the nation's leading scorer, said Davies "told us everything. He told us he was sorry and that he let us down. We just held our heads high and told him it was OK, that it is life, and you make mistakes, and you just got to play through it."
Davies, a 6-9, 235-pounder, was averaging 11.1 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds.
BYU's honor code instructs students to live a virtuous and chaste life, be honest, attend church regularly and refrain from smoking and drinking alcohol, coffee or tea.
"Everybody who comes to BYU, every student, if they're an athlete or not an athlete, they make a commitment when they come," Cougars coach Dave Rose said. "A lot of people try to judge if this is right or wrong, but it's a commitment they make. It's not about right or wrong. It's about commitment."
Analysts say BYU (27-3) still could earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament if the Cougars recover to beat Wyoming Saturday and then win the Mountain West Conference Tournament.
