BYU basketball player Kennard Davis Jr. was charged with Driving Under the Influence, a class B misdemeanor, in Provo City Justice Court late Tuesday afternoon.
The charge was filed a few hours after Provo Police issued a report indicating that Davis was allegedly in possession of marijuana after being involved in a two-car crash last Thursday morning. The incident report did not indicate who caused the accident, or whether any of the drivers were issued a citation for the crash that brought six Provo police officers to the scene.
I know exactly what happened. I am very aware of all the details. But at the same time, I am going to let the school handle it the way that they have asked me to handle it, and that is for them to be the people that talk about it.
— BYU basketball coach Kevin Young
Prosecutor Robert Trombly of the Provo City Attorney’s Office recommended a fine amount of $1,390, and Judge Stephen H. Schreiner was assigned to the case, court documents show.
Shortly thereafter, Davis, who turned 20 last January, entered a not-guilty plea and retained the counsel of South Jordan attorney C. Danny Frazier. The attorney submitted a demand for a jury trial in the matter, according to court documents.
Frazier, a former BYU football player, also made a motion for discovery to obtain “relevant written or recorded statements of the defendant and all other co-defendants” and “all physical evidence seized from the defendant and co-defendants,” among other requests.
Wednesday, Schreiner scheduled a pretrial conference for Jan. 12, 2026.
As the Deseret News reported Tuesday morning after obtaining the police report, Davis was cited for the DUI after being given “standard field sobriety tests” and a “drug recognition evaluation” and a “blood-urine test.” The report noted that there were “drugs involved.”
The Deseret News has also requested the accident report from last Thursday’s 11:45 a.m. two-car crash at the intersection of 900 W. and Center Street in Provo, but the Provo Police department denied that GRAMA request, saying it is “not able to divulge any further additional information until the Provo City Attorney’s office has completed their proceedings.”
Davis accompanied BYU on its trip to Boston last week for a game the then-No. 7 Cougars lost 86-84 to No. 3 UConn; however, he did not play and after the game head coach Kevin Young said he was “held out” for a violation of team rules.
After Tuesday’s report was released, a BYU Athletics spokesperson issued this statement: “Kennard Davis has been suspended for violation of team rules. The length of the suspension is still to be determined.”
Kevin Young reaction
For the first time since after the game in Boston, Young spoke to reporters via Zoom on Wednesday afternoon as the No. 9 Cougars continued preparation for Friday afternoon’s game against No. 23 Wisconsin at Delta Center (2 p.m. MST, Peacock) in Salt Lake City.
“I know exactly what happened. I am very aware of all the details. But at the same time, I am going to let the school handle it the way that they have asked me to handle it, and that is for them to be the people that talk about it,” Young said of the incident and subsequent arrest.
“If there is a forum where I am opened up to speak on it further, I will,” Young continued. “But I think to this point they have said what they have said.”
Asked if it is safe to assume that Davis won’t play against Wisconsin, Young replied: “I think it is safe, but I also think there is a lot of stuff still being sorted out.”
Earlier in the news conference, Young, who is in his second season at BYU, was asked about his “philosophy” for instances where players violate team rules.
“Do the right thing, and if you don’t, there’s consequences, based on our own internal team rules and rules of the university. So I mean, there’s nuances. … But that’s just my general philosophy of trying to get these guys to do the right thing and at the same time, if there is ever a situation that comes up where that is not the case, we handle it appropriately. That is my philosophy.”
What is BYU center Keba Keita’s injury status?
Cougars center Keba Keita sustained a hard hit to the head in the first half against UConn, and played only eight minutes in the loss. He had to be helped back to the locker room and did not return to the game. Young said Keita’s status is being monitored daily but that he is currently “still out” of practice.
“He’s trending in the right direction,” Young said when asked if Keita would play Friday. “Anything that deals with medical, whatever the medical people say, I do. I have gotten good feedback in terms of he is doing better. … It is more positive than it is not, but the situation that he is in is more of a day-to-day type thing.”
