Should BYU's Davies have been suspended?

The only laughable aspect here may be the notion of 19-year-olds resisting biology's siren call. The joys of human sex evolved with us to perpetuate the species. I imagine others this week will speak of sex as a delightful gift from a creator.

Either way, let's think late adolescence here: newly out on their own, in a fun college atmosphere (yes, even with an honor code — I went to a church school myself), emotions running high, excited/worried about their team's chances, maybe even in a first love, all accompanied by liberal doses of hormones.

Doesn't BYU's honor code also include provisions for repentance and redemption, short of dismissal, to deal with the inevitable breaches of the code? Or is rule-breaking more typically ignored and this came to light only because Davies is in the spotlight?

Whether needing a star player moves BYU to re-examine its code will be interesting to watch, but I trust that the student, the church powers and LDS basketball fans can work out a just and human/humane resolution. Even if not, I see in the sports section today that BYU has another player who is the country's top per-game scorer. Go Cougars!

Roberta Medford
Atheist
Montrose

BYU was right to suspend one of its stars. The basketball player in question knew what he was getting into when he decided to go to “the Y,” as it is affectionately known. So there should be no crying over spilled milk.

True, if the suspended player had gone to some other university, he could probably have had sex as many times as he wanted with impunity. But he didn't choose to go to some other university; he chose to go to BYU, where he knew what the code was.

I'm sorry for the other players on the team, whose championship dreams have probably been dashed — but there is more at stake here than a championship. If BYU reneged on its obligation to hold accountable one of its star players, then it would no longer be the highly respectable university that it is.

Then it would be just like any other institution, where winning is everything and we have at least one or two of those right here in L.A., don't we?

I am not a Mormon, but I admire the high moral code to which members of the LDS community subscribe. It is particularly disturbing to me that non-Mormons have criticized the decision. It really is nobody else's business but the player involved and BYU. Everybody else should butt out.