PROVO — The swarm of reporters that usually covers the legal missteps of Brigham Young University football or basketball players vanished after Rashaun Broadus was charged with drunken driving in January.

BYU men's basketball coach Dave Rose pre-empted the usual coverage of pending punishment from the Honor Code Office by immediately and independently suspending Broadus for the season.

With the question about his playing status resolved — the suspension in fact ended the senior point guard's college basketball career — media interest in Broadus disappeared.

A swoon by the team could have led to new stories about his absence, but the Cougars played just as well without him: BYU was 11-4 before his suspension and is 12-3 since with three wins over teams in the Top 25.

The Cougars open the Mountain West Conference tournament in Las Vegas today as the regular season champions and ranked No. 23 in the nation.

The success may explain why the conclusion of the review by the Honor Code Office earned no notice. BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins provided no details about his punishment but said Broadus will be allowed to finish the semester.

The decisiveness by Rose pleased Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

"He clearly sent the message drunk driving won't be tolerated," MADD spokeswoman Amy George said. "Clearly, the coach sees this as a serious issue and responded that way, and we appreciate that.

"This is kind of a rare response. We would like for other colleges and universities to take drunk driving and underage drinking seriously. We would like for them to be a lot stronger and swifter in their response to things like that."

The increased awareness of drinking problems on American campuses is leading some colleges, universities and high schools to make tougher stands.

In the wake of the death of a lacrosse player last year in an alcohol-related car accident, high school students who play sports in Virginia's Albemarle County now must sign a training pledge not to use alcohol, tobacco or drugs.

The rule prohibits alcohol use anywhere, at any time, and the first offense is an automatic full-season suspension.

A second strike leads to a suspension from all sports for one calendar year.

A third strike results in a ban from all sports for the rest of a student's high school career.

The school board will consider revisions to the strict rule next month, including the possibility of allowing parents to provide their children with a glass of wine at home under their supervision.