CougarCorner
Sign in
Archived Topic

Did They Really Have to Suspend

by BYZoo · 3/3/2011

Sponsored Advertisementad content
I
IowaCougar
No one threw anyone under the bus. The public announcement was necessary because Brandon was in a very public position. If it was another student, there would be no need for an announcement. That's just the nature of living in the bubble that big-time athletes live in.



Everyone talking about the PR nightmare: That's not what I'm seeing in the national media. In fact it's been just the opposite. The respect gained for the University for putting honor above athletics has been tremendous. I would ask those of you who are ripping the University for their supposed mishandling of the situation to examine your own motivation for doing so. Do you really care about Brandon Davies, or are you just upset about the Basketball season? Those who care about Brandon Davies are helping him through this. That includes his coach, his teammates, and his Bishop, I'm sure. He'll be fine, and I hope to see him back with the team next year.
N
NebraskaCoug
Iowa:



I agree that Brandon is a public figure, and as such required a public announcement to pre-empt a bigger P.R. nightmare. I also agree that this is playing very well around the country as our country (and world for that matter) are full of good-hearted people who have the light of Christ, and know right from wrong.



Although I don't know him personally, I honestly do care about Brandon Davies. In fact, I have made my argument not only because I care about Brandon Davies and his family, but because I care about the next "Brandon Davies" or "Harvey Unga" who will undoubtedly come to BYU in the future and make a similar mistake.



I got a little overzealous with my analogy of BYU putting Davies and Unga on the frontline and then retreating back, and I apologize to those whom I may have offended with that analogy.



I simply believe that BYU and its spokespeople can still be forthright and completely honest in a public announcement without giving more confidential information than is necessary, whether explicitly or implicitly. Doing so would demonstrate love and care for the individual just as much as individual administrators putting their arms around Davies, or others in the future.
N
NebraskaCoug
IowaCougar wrote:
Everyone talking about the PR nightmare: That's not what I'm seeing in the national media. I would ask those of you who are ripping the University for their supposed mishandling of the situation to examine your own motivation for doing so. Do you really care about Brandon Davies, or are you just upset about the Basketball season?


In my opinion, this isn't a "P.R. nightmare" so much for the school as it is for Davies, his family, his girlfriend and her family. And I believe they deserve to have a little more protection. That is all.
G
Guest
Lets call a spade a spade here.



The biggest problems are:



1. Local "Journalists" who are more interested in racking mud and hurting BYU than they are about individuals.



2. Fans. Fans who get on message sites, call in the radio, speculate endlessly about what was or wasn't done.



Even if BYU's PR dept. had only said he'd been dismissed for team rules, it would have been seconds before fans started speculating that it was a HC violation, and that he did this or that. "Journalists" would have begun slyly digging to find out what it was, asking his team mates if he got in a fight, "NO! Of course not," they'd defend him against accusations until only the obvious HC violations were left. And then everyone would "KNOW" and it should have been handled better again.



However, in the future, I wish they would simply say team rules, and keep it at that.
N
NebraskaCoug
Amen.
Sponsored Advertisementad content
G
Gunk
I'm a PR professional. I make a pretty good living at it. This was handled completely wrong.



You never provide responses to journalists without doubling checking and getting your facts strait. The call comes in, you get a sense of what the journalist is looking for, find out their deadline and give them a call back.



Carrie messed it up. The call came in and she gave an immediate response over the phone. She even admitted it in the press conference yesterday. Boasted about it is more like it. It made me cringe.
S
Schmoe
As an athlete, you represent BYU and The Church much more than an average student, and that is a privilege. I don't care about anecdotes about this person or that athlete that didn't get suspended blah, blah. You don't compromise, and if you do when its a big situation, then you don't really have standards at all. I'm sick and tired of people whining and complaining, if you choose to represent The Church's school, you need to follow the rules, cut and dried, plain and simple, black and white. Yes, Davies needed to be suspended, not for PR reasons, but because that's what BYU does and its what they stand for.
L
loonmj
Schmoe wrote:
As an athlete, you represent BYU and The Church much more than an average student, and that is a privilege. I don't care about anecdotes about this person or that athlete that didn't get suspended blah, blah. You don't compromise, and if you do when its a big situation, then you don't really have standards at all. I'm sick and tired of people whining and complaining, if you choose to represent The Church's school, you need to follow the rules, cut and dried, plain and simple, black and white. Yes, Davies needed to be suspended, not for PR reasons, but because that's what BYU does and its what they stand for.


My issue with the whole situation is that it doesn't have to be "what BYU does." Just my 2 cents.
G
Gunk
Schmoe wrote:
As an athlete, you represent BYU and The Church much more than an average student, and that is a privilege. I don't care about anecdotes about this person or that athlete that didn't get suspended blah, blah. You don't compromise, and if you do when its a big situation, then you don't really have standards at all. I'm sick and tired of people whining and complaining, if you choose to represent The Church's school, you need to follow the rules, cut and dried, plain and simple, black and white. Yes, Davies needed to be suspended, not for PR reasons, but because that's what BYU does and its what they stand for.


I don't know, Schmoe, there are plenty of examples in the gospel and in Church History when it would appear standards were compromised...
M
Mars
IowaCougar wrote:
Everyone talking about the PR nightmare: That's not what I'm seeing in the national media. In fact it's been just the opposite. The respect gained for the University for putting honor above athletics has been tremendous.

Well said.



A Prophet, and BYU's Honor Code Office, have no respect in their own country, as the scripture says.
Page 3 of 3
This is an archived topic from the original CougarCorner forum. New replies are not accepted.