Leaked emails sent from Bill Belichick reportedly detail how the former NFL coach aimed to manage the fallout from his infamous CBS interview — including his explanation for why his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson was there.
“Jordon and I have both a personal & professional relationship,” Belichick, 73, reportedly wrote in an email to Beth Keith — a senior associate vice chancellor in the Office of University Communications at UNC, where Belichick now coaches football — obtained by WRAL News via a public records request.
“This is not a secret,” the email reportedly continued. “Jordon assists me with my personal media, which is why I asked UNC to forward media requests (E.G. CBS 60 Minutes) to her. Jordan has zero involvement in the UNC football program, beyond the degree that my personal media intersects with it.”
In a May statement to Us Weekly from North Carolina Athletics, the department noted that Hudson manages Belichick’s “personal brand outside of his responsibilities for Carolina Football and the University.”
Us has reached out to a representative for Belichick for comment.
In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, which aired on April 27, Hudson interjected from off camera when reporter Tony Dokoupil asked the former New England Patriots coach how his significant age-gap romance began.
As Belichick was attempting to explain how the couple met, Hudson interrupted, saying, “We’re not talking about this.” The moment went viral, sparking debate about the couple’s relationship and Hudson’s role in her boyfriend’s life.
In an email to Keith, Belichick reportedly detailed why Hudson decided to intervene.
“I met Jordon randomly on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021. That is no secret,” he reportedly wrote. “Jordon was not dodging the specific question regarding how we met, but rather was preventing the interview from continuing to probe into personal matters.”
Still, according to a reported text message also obtained by WRAL News via the same public records request, Belichick was worried about the blowback to the viral moment, allegedly texting, “I don’t want to make a wrong move here.”
Belichick also reportedly shot down CBS’ request to conduct the now-infamous interview on the UNC campus.
“I rejected because UNC was not part of the book,” Belichick reportedly wrote in an email. Instead, the interview was conducted at Belichick’s former high school in Annapolis, Maryland.
Belichick also reportedly complained about the questions that were asked during his interview, writing in an email that the reporter deviated with what he claims was an agreement regarding which topics were allegedly off-limits.
“For approximately 35 uninterrupted minutes, Tony asked questions about the book,” Belichick reportedly wrote. “Then the questions shifted to other subjects that were not related to the Art of Winning, which we had outlined as off-limited with my book publicist.”
On April 30, Belichik released a statement claiming that any interview he participated in would focus on his book and his book only.
“I clearly communicated with my publicist at Simon & Schuster that any promotional interviews I participated in would agree to focus solely on the contests of the book,” he said via the statement at the time.
The same day, CBS released their own statement denying the coach’s claims.
“When we agreed to speak with Mr. Belichick, it was for a wide-ranging interview,” a spokesperson for CBS News said at the time. “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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