Hunt is the U.S. Olympic coach who decided Carl Lewis should not fill a spot on the 400-meter relay team. So what if Lewis was America's most accomplished and famous track athlete? Big deal that he had already garnered nine gold medals, that another first-place finish would have sealed an all-time world's record.
To Lewis, Coach Hunt just said no.
Auwe. Coach Hunt must have said "oh no!" (or worse) when the U.S. relay team came in second to Canada. The Americans had never before lost a 4x100 final, except via disqualification, in the history of the Olympics.
Unfortunately, there's always a first time - which is on Hunt's conscience now. And if he dares forget it, the nation's know-it-all sportswriters will be right there to remind him.
Poor guy. Poor Nora. Pacheco also pondered an agonizing decision. Earlier this year, she reported that her boyfriend, Alexander "Boy" Carvalho, had assaulted her and threatened that she had better not tell.
Honolulu police and prosecutors took note because Carvalho has a nasty history. In 1987, he was found guilty of murdering his wife, Cathy. He was on parole in February when Pacheco called 911.
Then something happened on the way to court: Pacheco recanted. She begged prosecutors to nix the charges against Carvalho, but a firm no-drop policy kept the wheels of justice grinding.
At trial, Carvalho's lawyer painted Nora as a jealous, vindictive, lying woman with loose morals. Her fatal flaw, however, was the recantation. See, she was lying in the first place, the defense attorney said.
Wendy Mow-Taira, a social worker with 18 years of experience with domestic abuse cases, countered that victims often change their stories because of a multitude of swirling fears, especially the threat of retribution. Pacheco herself testified that she feared for her life.
Especially this week. Last Friday, Carvalho was found "not guilty" and he could be released at any minute. Jury members apparently thought, after contemplating the facts, that Pacheco was lying.
Here's one fact that they didn't know: Carvalho has a mean temper. Circuit Judge James Aiona Jr. ruled that jurors could not hear evidence on Carvalho's prior conviction for slaying his spouse.
WHEN someone buys a used car, he or she learns about its history. Has it been in any accidents? Was the previous owner conscientious? Yet when it comes to the character and past behavior of a defendant, a jury cannot learn about any violent roots or misdeeds. Meanwhile, a complainant's reputation is dragged through the mud. Go figure.
Coach Erv Hunt will be second-guessed forever, but at least he had all the evidence at hand before making his decision. Still, we'll never know if Carl Lewis could have raised the American baton in victory.
We may also never know about the veracity of Nora Pacheco. But here's one guarantee: When Carvalho gets out of the slammer, he's going to be extremely angry. If Pacheco DID lie about the abuse, "Boy" went through another trial for naught. But if she DIDN'T lie, then she's in big trouble for telling on him.
And we wonder why she recanted?