Bill Belichick addresses viral moment from CBS interview
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Bill Belichick and his girlfriend Jordon Hudson attend game two of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Carolina Hurricanes and the New Jersey Devils. Photo: NHL Images/NHLI via Getty Images
Bill Belichick is increasingly making headlines in the national press, but not for how he is building the UNC football team into a championship contender.
Why it matters: UNC has made a huge financial commitment to Belichick in the hopes that the former New England Patriots coach can turn the Tar Heels football team into a consistent contender for trophies.
What happened: Over the weekend, Belichick, 73, made an appearance on "CBS Sunday Morning" to promote his book "The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football," which traces the career of the legendary football coach.
- The appearance went viral, however, not for the book's contents, but for Belichick's girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, 24, shutting down a question from reporter Tony Dokoupil about how the two met.
- That was followed up by a report in The Athletic on Tuesday that Hudson's involvement was instrumental into HBO backing out of an agreement to feature UNC on "Hard Knocks," a docuseries it runs every year about football. (UNC declined to comment on HBO's decision.)
Between the lines: The two incidents — along with Belichick's request to have Hudson copied on emails sent to him by UNC staff that was revealed in records requests — have raised speculation on Hudson's professional ties with the UNC football coach.
Driving the news: On Wednesday, Belichick released a statement through UNC about the CBS appearance, saying it was his expectation that any promotional interview would focus only on the contents of the book.
What they're saying: "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," Belichick said.
- "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," he added. "She was not deflecting any specific question or topic but simply doing her job to ensure the interview stayed on track."
- Belichick also said in the statement that he and Hudson were not trying to avoid the question of how they met, adding "[W]e have been open about the fact that Jordon and I met on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021."
The other side: CBS News pushed back at Belichick's comments, saying in a statement Wednesday that the network agreed to a "wide-ranging interview."
- "There were no preconditions or limitations to this conversation," the statement said.
- "This was confirmed repeatedly with his publisher before the interview took place and after it was completed."