Stephen A. Smith is sharing his thoughts on Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson’s relationship.
The longtime football coach, 73, and his 24-year-old girlfriend continue to make headlines after the former cheerleader shut down a question about how they met during a recent interview. As Belichick prepares to kick off his first season as head coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Smith tells PEOPLE how he thinks the drama will impact the team.
“I don’t imagine it will be [a problem],” the First Take host explains. “Bill Belichick is relatively private, and they can try to get in his business, but he’s reluctant to talk to begin with, and that’s even about football. So you certainly know he’s not going to get into things about his personal life.”
“We know about the story, but at the end of the day, it’s really none of our business,” Smith adds. “We’re all grown up. They’re consenting adults, and they can do what they want to do.”
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Stephen A. Smith; Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson
On April 27, Hudson interrupted Belichick’s CBS Sunday Morning interview, promoting his new memoir, The Art of Winning: Lessons from a Life in Football, several times. Journalist Tony Dokoupil later described her as a “constant presence” during the conversation.
At one point, Belichick told Dukopil that he has “never been too worried about what everyone else thinks” about his relationship and instead just tries “to do what I feel like is best for me, and what’s right.”
When the topic turned to how the couple knew each other, however, Hudson gave a stern order from across the set, saying, “We’re not talking about this.”
Related: Jordon Hudson Claps Back at Critics with Cryptic Hint at How She and Bill Belichick Met
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Bill Bellichick and Jordon Hudson attend the American Museum of Natural History’s 2024 Gala
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This interaction sparked backlash from the public as people began to question her involvement in Bilicheck’s life. She addressed the incident on April 29 in an Instagram post, which included a screenshot of an email from Belichick to what appeared to be his book publishers.
In the email, the former NFL coach expressed frustration with an article that focused primarily on his admission that he “f—– up” in a Super Bowl over the “260+ pages” of other topics explored in the publication.
Belichick also issued a statement one day later, claiming that he had established ahead of the interview that he would only answer questions about the book, and not his personal life.
“Unfortunately, that expectation was not honored during the interview. I was surprised when unrelated topics were introduced, and I repeatedly expressed to the reporter, Tony Dokoupil, and the producers that I preferred to keep the conversation centered on the book,” he continued. “After this occurred several times, Jordon, with whom I share both a personal and professional relationship, stepped in to reiterate that point to help refocus the discussion.”
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, CBS refuted Belichick’s assertions that there were off-limits topics.
“When we agreed to speak with Mr. Belichick, it was for a wide-ranging interview. There were no preconditions or limitations to this conversation. This was confirmed repeatedly with his publisher before the interview took place and after it was completed.”
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