The death of Cecil Hurt, Tuscaloosa News Sports Editor for more than 30 years, has sparked a wave of fond remembrances and laudatory reminiscing about his work.
I'll pass.
1995. Early in my side job working sports I was assigned to cover the Alabama Tennessee game. Peyton drilled the Tide which was enjoyable to watch from the pressbox and the field. Finebaum was there (and he was an ass). About half the people in the box were watching the Braves playoff game on televisions in the back. And there was Cecil. Sitting alone at a table, face in a sheet cake. Not once did he look at the game on the screen. Not once did he venture to the windows to watch any of the game. Just sat there morosely digging into the cake, his back to the field.
And still he wrote a piece the next day criticizing Bama's effort and giving some credit to Peyton. I guess I was just brought up to think differently, but if you're going to write about a game, you need to pay attention to it. He didn't and I lost any respect I had for his work.
He was sports editor at a mid/lower level daily, one that has zero state or national impact for more than 30 years. Why did he never leave? Why did he not move up? Why did he not move on to a bigger papers, bigger opportunities?
There were rumors.
The people I knew in the photographer and writing circles said it wasn't a good idea to be young, male and alone in the newsroom with certain T-News personnel. I heard a lot of things. Promises of better assignments in exchange for.... favors... threats of lawsuits that my$teriou$ly went away....other inappropriate pursuits. Did I ever see any of that personally? No. But I heard it from multiple sources and I know guys who quit rather than continue working there. I know he/they propped up the careers of some horribly shitty writers for reasons no one could understand.
I'm fairly confident in the knowledge that early in his career Bama boosters provided him funds to bury some potentially damaging issues and they continued to provide him cover (financial and otherwise) for his entire tenure. He was beholden to them, bought and paid for. That's not journalism.
His writing was juvenile. He despised Auburn with great intensity. There was some idea that he and the people who owned him were behind the entire Cam Newton smear campaign. Wouldn't put it past him. I'm also at least 75% sure he was involved in the efforts to bring Coach Dye down. Behind the scenes of course.
Over the years whatever relevance he had evaporated as he stagnated in the one-horse town that is Tuscaloosa. Without Finebaum dragging his carcass on his show to mumble in monotone fashion and offer no valid insights whatsoever, he would be forgotten vapor.
I'm never glad anybody's dead. Well, there are exceptions to that Harvey, you miserable fuck. I'm not going to shed crocodile tears either. He was, now he isn't. Thus endeth my eulogy.
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