The University of North Carolina’s athletic director was asked if Jordon Hudson is a distraction on ESPN on Tuesday
Bubba Cunningham did not directly answer the question, but said head coach Bill Belichick “is an incredibly focused person”
Cunningham also confirmed that the university has not banned Hudson from its athletic facilities
Bubba Cunningham is batting back the idea that Jordon Hudson is a distraction.
In an interview with ESPN on Tuesday, May 13, the University of North Carolina athletic director praised Bill Belichick — and reconfirmed that the legendary football coach’s 24-year-old girlfriend has not been banned from its athletics department or its facilities.
“Bill’s been great to work with,” Cunningham told the outlet. “He talked about practicing like a pro and he runs a professional organization that is teaching students how to be professional in all aspects of their life. He is a very determined, professional individual, and that’s the way he carries himself and the way he conducts the program.”
When Cunningham was asked if he was worried about “distractions,” he demurred and said: “Bill is an incredibly focused person.”
The athletic director’s interview came on the same day that the 73-year-old former NFL coach also spoke to ESPN, in his first interview since his awkward CBS Sunday Morning appearance in which Hudson intervened on camera when he was asked about how the two met.
In the SportsCenter interview, the former New England Patriots coach explained to anchor Christine Williamson that his relationship with Hudson is “off to the side.”
Kevin Mazur/Getty
Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson attend the 14th Annual NFL Honors
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“It’s a personal relationship and she doesn’t have anything to do with UNC football,” Belichick said.
Hudson, who has acted as Belichick’s public relations manager in recent months, has been seen along the sidelines at football practices as he gears up for his first season at the program’s helm.
On Saturday, May 10 — one day after a report claimed that UNC had banned Hudson — the coach supported his girlfriend’s quest to become Miss Maine USA, where he sat on the front row during both days of the pageant in Portland, Maine. The university later denied that Hudson has been banned.
The former college cheerleader was named second runner-up on Sunday.
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