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Bill Belichick’s brief tenure as UNC football coach has largely been defined by the NFL legend’s relationship with Jordon Hudson.
Tuesday was no different when the longtime coach faced more inquiries about his personal life. Only this time, he embraced the line of questioning as a marketing opportunity.
Speaking to reporters this week, the former New England Patriots head coach faced a pair of questions about the buzz surrounding his personal life during the Tar Heels’ offseason. Belichick was asked specifically what he believed was the “biggest misconception” about his time at Chapel Hill.
North Carolina football head coach Bill Belichick and his girlfriend Jordon Hudson watch the game between the Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils on March 8, 2025, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
“I don’t know. I’m really focused on doing my job here at Carolina, which is to help our football team, and that’s just to get better every day. You know, to stack those days together – training days, preparation days, days out on the field, and we’ve done that. Our staff’s done a great job of working hard to do that. That’s my big focus.”
“Is there noise out there? We’ve always dealt with that,” he continued. “Really, our job is to build the football team and… also build their individual careers. That’s really where we’re at.”
Belichick was pressed further when asked if he would have come back to coaching knowing what he does now about the attention or if it’s taken away from the experience. But instead of a brief response that many NFL fans have become familiar with, Belichick responded with a quip about his recent book.
“On some of the noise that’s out there – the book and stuff like that, I mean it is what it is. That’s a personal venture that I entered into when I wasn’t in coaching last year. Hopefully that’ll be a big purchase on Father’s Day,” he said with a smile.
Coach Bill Belichick watches his team during practice in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Seward, File)
BILL BELICHICK SAYS GIRLFRIEND JORDON HUDSON HAS BEEN ‘TERRIFIC’ AMID CONTROVERSY
Belichick’s book – and relationship with 24-year-old Hudson – made headlines in April when, during an interview with CBS News, Hudson shut down questions about the couple’s relationship. According to reports at the time, Hudson interrupted on several occasions, including shutting down the question about how they met, and even stormed off at one point, delaying the interview by around 30 minutes.
Belichick responded at the time to the fallout from the interview with a statement claiming that he “clearly communicated with my publicist at Simon & Schuster that any promotional interviews I participated in would agree to focus solely on the contents of the book.”
Belichick added that he was “surprised” about getting the questions about his relationship and that when Hudson stepped in, she was doing her job. He went on to accuse CBS of creating a “false narrative” with so-called “selectively edited clips.”
Head coach Bill Belichick of the Tar Heels coaches at Kenan Stadium on April 12, 2025, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Peyton Williams/Getty Images)
CBS responded, disagreeing with Belichick’s version of events.
“When we agreed to speak with Mr. Belichick, it was for a wide-ranging interview,” the company said. “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.”
Belichick will make his debut when UNC hosts TCU on Monday, Sept. 1.
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https://www.foxnews.com/sports/bill-belichick-plugs-book-fathers-day-gift-idea-response-questions-about-relationship-noise
