Derik Stevenson knew he needed help. The pain pills he began taking after a football injury at Brigham Young University had become an addiction.
But he was scared of the embarrassment of admitting that while he was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — and the starting linebacker at the church-owned university.
And he was scared of the school’s Honor Code Office, he now says, one of several former BYU athletes taking to social media in recent weeks to call for changes in how the office treats students. They generally support BYU having the Honor Code, several said, but they want the university to focus on helping rather than punishing students.