Jeff asked for it, so The Giant responds.
On September 12, SFN interviewed ACC coordinator of football officials Tommy Hunt regarding ACC officiating, the NC State/Akron controversy, and other subjects. The transcript appears below:
SFN: Thank you for meeting with us today, Mr. Hunt.
Hunt: Eating? I ain’t eatin’ with you. It’s only 9 AM. Says here, this is supposed to be an interview with Inside Carolina. Good site; I read it every week.
SFN: It IS an interview, sir. And it’s STATE FANS Nation. As in, North Carolina State University nation.
Hunt: Oh. I don’t read that. Mr. Swofford says we got to stay away from fan sites. Got to stay impartial, you see.
SFN: What about this “Inside Carolina,‿ sir? Isn’t that a UNC fan magazine?
Hunt: Oh, I just read that to catch up on the news. They just tell it like it is. I went there, you know.
SFN: Yes, sir, we know. Would you mind just clipping this microphone to your shirt, sir, so we can record what you’re saying?
Hunt: Phone? Ain’t no need to phone. We’re sitting right-chere, ain’t we?
SFN: MICROphone, Mr. Hunt. It’s so we can hear what you’re saying.
Hunt: Oh, I see. Microphones. We got those. Jim Knight always called ‘em “garble garbles,‿ because none of the boys could figure out how to work ‘em. Bless that Jim Knight; always coming up with a funny story. I once stood not ten feet away from him and he thought I was Gale Sayers. Good Carolina fan. Jim, not Gayle.
SFN: I … see. Well, we wanted to ask you about the controversy in the N.C. State versus Akron game.
Hunt: Controversy? Ain’t no controversy! Them Zips is somethin’ else, ain’t they? Did all that with partial qualifiers, too! Bet old Chuck Amato wishes he had him some o’ those. “Don’t hate the player, Chuck,‿ I told him. “Hate the game.” I bet he hated that game, heh heh heh!
SFN: Well, Mr. Hunt, many observers have noted photographic evidence showing that the Akron runner was down before he crossed the goal line.
Hunt: There ain’t no such evidence!
SFN: But Mr. Hunt …
Hunt: Ain’t! Ain’t, ain’t, ain’t, ain’t! All the shots we got look like he scored. That’s all you State people do, is bitch. Rick Page said something about that just the other day. You know they called him “Blank‿ Page in high school? I don’t know why, though.
SFN: But Mr. Hunt, there’s been more than one photograph circulating that shows, fairly conclusively, that the runner was down.
Hunt: Yeah, a still photo.
SFN: What’s the difference, Mr. Hunt?
Hunt: Still photos ain’t dependable. We depend on runnin’ pictures.
SFN: ‘Runnin’ pictures,’ Mr. Hunt?
Hunt: Yeah, you know. Runnin pictures. When the runner’s runnin.’ How can you get a good picture of a RUNNIN man from a STILL photo? You can’t! Says so in the Scriptures!
SFN: But Mr. Hunt, a fan at the game, only a short distance from the play, was the person who took this picture.
Hunt: Ametchoors!
SFN: I’m sorry, what did you say?
Hunt: Ametchoors! And they tell me I’m deef. You deef, son?
SFN: No, I hear quite well. Do you mean, “amateurs,‿ as in “non-professional photographers‿?
Hunt: Yeah, ametchoors. We always get some ametchoor photograph in things like this. No, sir: runnin’ pictures is what we use. That way you see the man runnin’.
SFN: Do you mean video, or film, Mr. Hunt?
Hunt: I have heard it called by that name, yes sir. And that’s OK; there’s more than one way to skin a cat. Just ask Jim Knight! Heh! Either way, runnin pictures isn’t as tricksome as your so-called still photo. And State fans know how to use that Photo Chop stuff as well, so we especially don’t believe stuff from them.
SFN: Sir, has anyone ever accused you of being, well, a little biased against State?
Hunt: Biased? Never! I wear my pants every game.
SFN: BIASED, Mr. Hunt. As in, not impartial regarding NC State matters.
Hunt: What you trying to say, boy?
SFN: Well, Mr. Hunt, you went to Carolina …
Hunt: That is where I received my excellent education, yes sir.
SFN: And John Swofford ….
Hunt: Mister Swofford!
SFN … MISTER Swofford went to Carolina, and your staff has screwed us more times than I can count, so …
Hunt: You best watch out, son. The ACC football officials giveth, and they taketh away.
SFN: What do you mean by that?
Hunt: What I mean is, see, keep up that kind of potty talk, and you Wolfpups could find themselves with the game on the line some day, and what seems to be a touchdown really ain’t a touchdown. Know what I mean?
SFN: Not really. What do you mean?
Hunt: Well, I ain’t sayin’ any more, except that you could have a touchdown called, and that touchdown could be sort of, you know, taken away.
SFN: But you already did that to us, Mr. Hunt. In 2004. Jim Knight, in fact.
Hunt: Oh yeah, right. That Jim Knight. Bless his heart. Has a keen eye and an honest look. Now, I gotta go.
