Tuscaloosa News: Cecil Hurt had UA booster co-sign loan

[dixiehack]

Offered without comment.

http://www.tidesports.com/article/20071128/NEWS/71128027/1011

During closing arguments today in a defamation lawsuit brought by a former Alabama booster, lawyers for the NCAA pointed the juror's attention to a loan Ray Keller co-signed for Tuscaloosa News Sports Editor Cecil Hurt in 2000.

Hurt, who has covered Crimson Tide athletics since September of 1982, said the loan was for medical expenses he incurred in 2000 and totaled $4,000.

The loan was mentioned earlier this month during testimony, but had not previously been disclosed to editors at The Tuscaloosa News or to readers. Keller is suing the NCAA for defamation and invasion of privacy related to penalties against the Crimson Tide program nearly six years ago.

 

[spinning27]

Re: Tuscaloosa News: Cecil Hurt took loan from UA booster

This thread should be fun

 

[tapintoamerica]

Re: Tuscaloosa News: Cecil Hurt took loan from UA booster

... "the juror's attention ..."
You mean there's one juror? Interesting civil justice sytem in Alabama.

 

[HoopsMcCann]

Re: Tuscaloosa News: Cecil Hurt took loan from UA booster

whoa...

 

[Angola!]

Re: Tuscaloosa News: Cecil Hurt took loan from UA booster

Offered without comment.

http://www.tidesports.com/article/20071128/NEWS/71128027/1011

During closing arguments today in a defamation lawsuit brought by a former Alabama booster, lawyers for the NCAA pointed the juror's attention to a loan Ray Keller co-signed for Tuscaloosa News Sports Editor Cecil Hurt in 2000.

Hurt, who has covered Crimson Tide athletics since September of 1982, said the loan was for medical expenses he incurred in 2000 and totaled $4,000.

The loan was mentioned earlier this month during testimony, but had not previously been disclosed to editors at The Tuscaloosa News or to readers. Keller is suing the NCAA for defamation and invasion of privacy related to penalties against the Crimson Tide program nearly six years ago.

Why didn't Hurt tell his bosses about this? He had to know it was going to come up in court. At the same time, if it was a loan he took out, then what is the problem? I am sure it doesn't look good because it is an athletics booster, but I don't see what's wrong with borrowing money to help with medical expenses.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Re: Tuscaloosa News: Cecil Hurt took loan from UA booster

Offered without comment.

http://www.tidesports.com/article/20071128/NEWS/71128027/1011

During closing arguments today in a defamation lawsuit brought by a former Alabama booster, lawyers for the NCAA pointed the juror's attention to a loan Ray Keller co-signed for Tuscaloosa News Sports Editor Cecil Hurt in 2000.

Hurt, who has covered Crimson Tide athletics since September of 1982, said the loan was for medical expenses he incurred in 2000 and totaled $4,000.

The loan was mentioned earlier this month during testimony, but had not previously been disclosed to editors at The Tuscaloosa News or to readers. Keller is suing the NCAA for defamation and invasion of privacy related to penalties against the Crimson Tide program nearly six years ago.

Why didn't Hurt tell his bosses about this? He had to know it was going to come up in court. At the same time, if it was a loan he took out, then what is the problem? I am sure it doesn't look good because it is an athletics booster, but I don't see what's wrong with borrowing money to help with medical expenses.

I think the problem is that the guy who co-signed for his loan was later found to (or in the process of being found) to have given illegal benefits to players in the program that Cecil covers. The appearance is that perhaps Cecil might have known more than he reported or intentionally ignored unflattering facts about Keller when writing about the NCAA case.

Now, I personally don't call Cecil's objectivity into question (and I don't think many who have worked with/alongside him would either), but some --- particularly outside the business --- might.

I also think an interesting hypothetical would be, had Cecil told his bosses about this loan in 2000, would he still be covering Alabama or working at the T-News right now? Also, the T-News is owned by the New York Times company, which has had its share of ethical problems with reporters in the past, so that might figure into this as well.

Anybody had experience with a similar situation? What was done in that case?

 

[Yawn]

Re: Tuscaloosa News: Cecil Hurt took loan from UA booster

Offered without comment.

http://www.tidesports.com/article/20071128/NEWS/71128027/1011

During closing arguments today in a defamation lawsuit brought by a former Alabama booster, lawyers for the NCAA pointed the juror's attention to a loan Ray Keller co-signed for Tuscaloosa News Sports Editor Cecil Hurt in 2000.

Hurt, who has covered Crimson Tide athletics since September of 1982, said the loan was for medical expenses he incurred in 2000 and totaled $4,000.

The loan was mentioned earlier this month during testimony, but had not previously been disclosed to editors at The Tuscaloosa News or to readers. Keller is suing the NCAA for defamation and invasion of privacy related to penalties against the Crimson Tide program nearly six years ago.

I bet there's where CNHI's money is going. It is in Birmingham, mind you.

 

[I'll never tell]

Re: Tuscaloosa News: Cecil Hurt took loan from UA booster

huh? T News is a NYT paper, isn't it?

 

[BYH]

Re: Tuscaloosa News: Cecil Hurt took loan from UA booster

Now, I personally don't call Cecil's objectivity into question (and I don't think many who have worked with/alongside him would either), but some --- particularly outside the business --- might.

Oh, my guess is he'll have a lot more critics inside the biz than outside it.

 

[Pencil Dick]

Re: Tuscaloosa News: Cecil Hurt took loan from UA booster

I've never seen the words "Cecil Hurt" and any form of "objective" used in the same sentence before.

Tuscaloosa is a NYT Regional Newspaper Group property.

I'll be interested to see how this situation plays out.

 

[wickedwritah]

Re: Tuscaloosa News: Cecil Hurt took loan from UA booster

Why would a newspaper editor have to go to a booster for a loan?

How does that conversation even go down?

I don't know what Cecil's condition was at the time, but it shows a lack of judgment. I'm sure there are a bunch of mitigating factors at work here, though.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Re: Tuscaloosa News: Cecil Hurt took loan from UA booster

I've never seen the words "Cecil Hurt" and any form of "objective" used in the same sentence before.

Considering that he works at the paper in a city where the Crimson Tide is the ONLY game in town and 99 percent of his subscribers are Alabama fans, I think Cecil's as objective as he needs to be. He's certainly not a comical homer in the Phillip Marshall sense of the phrase ...

 

[John]

Re: Tuscaloosa News: Cecil Hurt took loan from UA booster

The thread title is wrong. According to the story, the booster co-signed on a loan. The booster did not give money to Cecil.

"I am troubled by what we've learned," said Doug Ray, executive editor of The Tuscaloosa News. "Cecil is a straight-shooter and a conscientious journalist. As our lead columnist and reporter on UA sports, he also is very influential within collegiate sports in Alabama. That elevates the importance of maintaining independence from his sources and the institutions he covers. Appearances matter. In this situation, he made some bad decisions. He should never had Keller co-sign a loan for him. Once that happened, he should have disclosed it.

"It is important to note that there is no indication that Keller gave Cecil any money. Also, from what I understand, all of this transpired before Keller became part of the NCAA probe."

 

[dixiehack]

Noted and corrected

 

[wickedwritah]

John, while you are right and that the distinction is important, I'm still troubled by a reporter going to a potential source to co-sign a loan.

 

[John]

John, while you are right and that the distinction is important, I'm still troubled by a reporter going to a potential source to co-sign a loan.

Absolutely no question about that.

 

[Point of Order]

Re: Tuscaloosa News: Cecil Hurt took loan from UA booster

NYT papers take parking ticket equivalents very seriously nowadays, and they should. Also, there are A LOT of writers in Alabama who would love to see Hurt knocked down a peg or two because he's damn good at his job - keep that in mind when talking about objectivity on this thread. I have never known Hurt shy away from a hot topic and I wouldn't expect him to shy away from this one.

On another note, apparently the NYT should also improve their health insurance coverage.

 

[wickedwritah]

On another note, apparently the NYT should also improve their health insurance coverage.

That's my other point on this. Why should a respected journalist have to scrounge up money to pay for medical expenses?

 

[Steak Snabler]

Also, there are A LOT of writers in Alabama who would love to see Hurt knocked down a peg or two because he's damn good at his job - keep that in mind when talking about objectivity on this thread.

Agreed. If Cecil's not the best reporter on the beat, he is certainly the writer of record. A lot of people would have much easier jobs if they didn't have to compete with him.

On another note, apparently the NYT should also improve their health insurance coverage.

I thought that, too, but I had always heard NYT had among the best benefits package in the biz.

 

[John]

Also, there are A LOT of writers in Alabama who would love to see Hurt knocked down a peg or two because he's damn good at his job - keep that in mind when talking about objectivity on this thread.

Agreed. If Cecil's not the best reporter on the beat, he is certainly the writer of record. A lot of people would have much easier jobs if they didn't have to compete with him.

On another note, apparently the NYT should also improve their health insurance coverage.

I thought that, too, but I had always heard NYT had among the best benefits package in the biz.

I never had any complaints during the two years I was an NYT employee. But that was recently. I don't know what it was like back in 2000.