BYU Basketball Team Dismisses Star Player for Having Premarital Sex

The BYU mens basketball team took a stand for the school's honor code on Wednesday. The third-ranked Cougars dismissed starting forward Brandon Davies from the team for the remainder of the season after sources say he admitted to having sex with his girlfriend.

The Salt Lake Tribune first reported the nature of the violation, which defies the school's honor code prohibiting premarital sex, and implores students to "live a chaste and virtuous life."

Davies, who grew up in Provo, had started 26 of 29 games for the Cougars and averaged 11.1 points and a team-leading 6.2 rebounds.

All-America guard Jimmer Fredette remains the Cougars' biggest scoring threat at a nation-leading 27.3 points a game. Backcourtmate Jackson Emery is second in scoring at 12.6 points and Davies was third.

Wednesday night, Fredette responded to the news of Davies's suspension:

“He 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,” he said, according to the Tribune.

School officials said they became aware of the honor code violations Monday. Davies's future with the team and the university has not yet been determined. He has, however, been allowed to remain at the school while his situation is under review.

A source close to the team told the Tribune that Davies was “extremely remorseful, heartbroken,” and has accepted the school's punishment.

On Wednesday, former BYU basketball player Michael Smith explained the school's honor code to ESPN:

When asked on Wednesday if he thought Davies would ever play again for the Cougars, coach Dave Rose said, "yeah, I do."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.