Some things can only happen in Alabama, and for that reason it hardly raises an eyebrow when they do happen.

Tuscaloosa News sports editor Cecil Hurt is in a bit of hot water for a $4,000 loan application that was cosigned by Alabama booster Ray Keller. Keller is no run-of-the-mill small booster – he was named directly by the NCAA when they announced sanctions against the Tide earlier this decade, and he is currently suing the NCAA for defamation. The details of this loan application came out as a result of that case.

Hurt has covered UA athletics, primarily football, men’s basketball and baseball, since 1982 according to the Tuscaloosa News. Executive Editor Doug Ray explains the heart of the matter:

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.

Hurt denies that the relationship influenced his coverage, and I have no evidence to argue otherwise. Still, not exactly a rock of journalistic credibility.