North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick shot down the notion that his relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson has impacted his ability to properly lead the football program.
“That’s really off to the side,” he told ESPN on Tuesday from the ACC Spring Meetings. “It’s a personal relationship and she doesn’t have anything to do with UNC football.”
Belichick, 73, is considered one of the greatest coaches in football history. He led the New England Patriots from 2000-2023, helping the team claim six Super Bowl victories. After mutually agreeing to part ways with the franchise in January 2024, he was named head coach of the Tar Heels the following December.
Belichick and Hudson’s relationship was first made public that same month, when they walked the red carpet together at the American Museum of Natural History Gala. Questions immediately rose due to the 49-year age gap.
They got much louder in late April when Belichick appeared on “CBS Mornings” ahead of the release of his memoir, “The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football.” When correspondent Tony Dokoupil asked how the couple met, Hudson, sitting in the background, said, “We’re not talking about this.”
Belichick has since released a statement saying they had nothing to hide about how they met.
“Some of the clips make it appear as though we were avoiding the question of how we met, but we have been open about the fact that Jordon and I met on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021,” he said.
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NBC Sports reported last month that Hudson is “very involved” in Belichick’s role with UNC.
“From his coaching job at North Carolina to the program’s negotiations with NFL Films about a Hard Knocks-style documentary/infomercial, she is taking a very active role,” Mike Florio reported. “And exerting a very high degree of influence.”
Belichick, however, refuted that on Tuesday.
Asked by ESPN whether he has spoken with his team about “what’s going on off the field,” he said he has.
“We want to make the players the best they can be and provide them the best opportunity on and off the field,” he said. “That’s what we’re about at UNC and we’re going to do the best for every single player that we have.”
