When Mike Loyd told the SL Tribune a couple weeks ago that his dismissal from the BYU basketball team was due, in part, to off-the-court issues, I don't think anybody was surprised. Mike Loyd screamed hip-hop culture, a culture that definitely doesn't fit in at BYU, and sometimes doesn't fit in too well with the law.
What we didn't know, and apparently what Dave Rose and BYU didn't know, was the extent to Loyd's run in with the law in 2009, including possession of joints and alcohol.
The SL Tribune today released an article stating Loyd's past legal trouble. Again, because it's BYU, we have to preface this by saying what Mike did in '09 were things that a vast majority of college students around the country do everyday. That's not excusing him, but just bringing up facts...
His legal troubles add up to at least 10 citations--7 of which come from speeding--no biggie, something we're all guilty of. But it's the others that are more serious, certainly at BYU. According to the article, hours after BYU lost to Wake Forest in Provo, Loyd was cited in South Jordan (south of SLC) for possession of a controlled substance (marijuana, according to court records) and unlawful possession of alcohol by a minor.
In a statement to the media, Rose said that neither "he nor his coaching staff were aware of the matters."
I don't know how it's possible that nobody at BYU knew about it, but if it's true, Loyd's "Houdini act" has to be one of the best in BYU sports history--rivaled only by Jim McMahon, who actually had the coaches' help (Edwards was notorious for keeping things "in-house"...)