Kalani Sitake has stressed repeatedly that the honor code of BYU can’t be broken under any condition.  That’s why he acted quickly when police arrested wide receiver Parker Kingston on a first-degree felony rape charge. After a brief legal procedure, Kingston was granted bail. But it looks like his time with the Cougars has now ended.

Today, BYU released a statement on Parker Kingston’s dismissal from the team.

“As of Friday, Parker Kingston is no longer a student at Brigham Young University and is no longer a member of the BYU football team,” the statement read. “University administration and athletic administration, including BYU Head Coach Kalani Sitake, were only made aware of the investigation and allegations after Kingston’s arrest this past Wednesday, Feb. 11.”

This is the second instance which shows how Kalani Sitake runs a tight ship with the Cougars. The University is a flagship school of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church. It has strict honor codes when it comes to sexual relations before marriage between a man and a woman. Authorities allege that Kingston sexually assaulted another person.

A BYU spokesperson, Jon McBride, even said the institution and the coaches were aware of the entire incident after Kingston’s arrest 3 days ago. The alleged incident dates back to February 23, 2025, and occurred in St. George, Utah. The prosecutors stated that the woman, who was 20 at that time, accused Kingston of sexually harassing her inside her home.

Even after she had set strict boundaries of not wanting to have sex, Kingston initiated, as per the affidavit. Even after repeated accusations, Kingston remained firm in his statement that the sexual activity was consensual. But after the detective collected major medical and digital evidence, authorities brought Kingston before Judge John Walton. The court granted him bail under a $100,000 bond agreement.

But before that, Walton commented, “I found by clear and convincing evidence that Mr. Kingston was a danger to the community.” Now that he is out of prison, Kingston isn’t a completely free man. He is asked to follow certain conditions:

• Wearing a GPS ankle monitor for at least 60 days.
• No contact with the victim and her family.
• Staying out of Washington County except for court dates.
• Removing all social media apps and avoiding speaking to the media.

Kingston was one of BYU’s best players and a crowd favorite. The Layton native is the only player in the school’s history to score a touchdown by catching, running, passing, and even returning a punt. The junior WR was leading his Cougars squad with 66 catches and racking up over 900 receiving yards, earning him Second-Team All-Big 12 honors. He finished the 2025 season with nearly 1,300 all-purpose yards and 5 touchdowns, a testament to his versatile running ability.

Kingston’s dismissal is the latest high-profile example of Coach Kalani Sitake enforcing BYU’s strict standards, a policy that also impacted former QB Jake Retzlaff last season, albeit under very different circumstances.

No mercy for breaking the honor codes

While Parker Kingston got expelled from the school and football team with a first-degree felony rape charge, Jake Retzlaff was suspended for having a consensual sexual relationship. This violated the strict BYU honor codes. The code prohibits having premarital sex. Because of this, Retzlaff faced a seven-game suspension for the 2025 season.

The situation was pretty frustrating for Retzlaff. In 2024, he led the Cougars to an 11–2 record, throwing for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns. A 7-game suspension wouldn’t look good in his draft grades. Instead of serving the suspension, Retzlaff exited the program. Even though the transfer window closed, Retzlaff entered Tulane as a walk-on. After his exit, Kalani Sitake was rather candid about the whole situation.

“We love Jake and appreciate everything he’s done for us. But I’ll let him make statements about his situation,” Sitake said ahead of the 2025 Big 12 Media Days.

Upon arriving at Tulane, Retzlaff immediately earned the starting job and led the Green Wave to an American Athletic Conference (AAC) title and the school’s first-ever College Football Playoff berth.