Honor Code is serious business

Rashaun Broadus picked the wrong era in which to err.

As a result, his college basketball career came to a screeching halt just hours after he'd posted his best game of the season in a Cougar win over San Diego State.

The Broadus situation underscores the seriousness with which the BYU administration views student adherence to the Honor Code.

Folks, they're serious as a heart attack down here. And there are many who say it is about time.

When the Cougar senior point guard got behind the wheel of his car early Sunday, got pulled over on Interstate 15 near Provo and was arrested and accused of driving while under the influence, he went from the high of a great game to an absolute low within 12 hours.

Broadus' mistake came at the wrong time in Provo.

I'm not saying that folks at BYU turned their head or winked at misconduct in the past, although there are plenty of people who will testify otherwise.

But I am saying that the atmosphere today, the spotlight, the emphasis and the umbrella BYU basketball coach Dave Rose and football coach Bronco Mendenhall were hired under, are big-time in the serious department when it comes to matters of this kind.

BYU's athletic staffs battle under scrutiny few coaches at other schools encounter. Aside from honor code issues, BYU's administration is asking compliance to NCAA rules far and above what is required in the thick and sometimes confusing book of college rules — even to the point of placing their programs at a competitive disadvantage.

But back to Broadus.

Driving while under the influence anywhere is serious business. At BYU, it and other types of behavior — some commonplace on other campuses — can be considered apocalyptic to an athletic career.

It was just three years ago that four BYU football players attended a party at a house in Provo. There was booze and allegations of sexual assault that later was explained as consensual sex. All four players were suspended. There was a recruit invited to the party and, needless to say, he wasn't invited back but ended up at UNLV.

But the headlines and furor of that night lingered andrightfully took a toll on how serious the school and board of trustees viewed the embarrassing actions of high-profile student athletes. Yes, the red phone in the Abraham Smoot Administration Building rang loud that winter. The echo of that sound can still be heard.