By now, we've all made ourselves familiar with the "Honor Code" situation that has been going on at Brigham Young University. The same code that got their second best player on a national powerhouse basketball team, Brandon Davies, suspended from the team for the remainder of the season.
The debate has been hot and heavy around message boards, water coolers, sports talk stations, and even the print media has ran with it even outside of Provo, Utah.
While this has been a basketball story for the most part, don't think for a second that this won't affect BYU when it comes to recruiting. Not just in basketball, but in football as well.
There are some that would argue that it shouldn't affect it because the players that would normally sign there know exactly what they're signing up for. While that might be true, it could make other players thing twice about the kind of pressure they have to stand up for. Even if it's in their own mind.
Let's not kid ourselves. College athletes around the country are tempted by the opposite sex no matter who they are. We've seen enough of the "Girls Gone Wild" videos to know what goes on at colleges across the country. It's no shock to anyone.
That being said, the temptation among even the most insignificant athlete could be too great for any one person to handle. But what if you're the star of that team and well known around campus? It draws that much more attention to that particular player and could jeopardize their future with the team and the university.
If you think basketball is having a hard time, what about a star football player? A quarterback, perhaps?
BYU has long been known for their football prowess especially when they've had names like Steve Young and Jim McMahon grace the position through the years.
Make no mistake about it, the recruiting process might get a little bit harder this year and years to come for the football program. Players that would normally consider the Cougars as their top choice may begin to look at other schools to give them other options. If temptation is a problem for them mentally, this university may not be the best choice for them.
Does this leave the Cougars at a disadvantage? At this point, it's hard to argue that it has seeing as this story is only a few weeks old. However, as the months wear on we may see a different reality.
You'd be naive to think that this story won't affect each athletic program at BYU. This is going to handcuff not only the basketball program from here on out but the football team may be looked at more closely now than they ever have been.
No matter what your opinion on the situation, as long as this story continues to have legs and continues to be looked at by those outside of BYU, it's could have a devastating affect on how coaches recruit the kind of players they would normally look at.
We may not see it going into the 2011 football season but when the recruiting season opens for the 2012 recruiting class, we may see a difference begin to emerge.
When it ends depends on when BYU can finally put a lid on the story.
Follow Todd Kaufmann @T_Kaufmann and National Football Authority @NFAuthority on Twitter
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