Michael Strahan made sure to point out that Jordon Hudson wasn’t in attendance for his interview with Bill Belichick on Friday’s episode of Good Morning America.
That, however, didn’t stop the Hall of Fame defensive end from asking about the most famous girlfriend in college football.
Over the course of the nine-minute interview intended to promote Belichick’s new book, the conversation largely remained focused on football. But at the end, Strahan did his best to delve into Belichick’s personal life, which has been the talk of the sports world dating back the 6-time Super Bowl champion head coach’s interview with CBS Sunday Morning last month, which Hudson was very much in attendance for.
It started with a question in which Strahan alluded to Belichick’s newfound social media presence, which has largely come via posed (and sometimes costumed) pictures on Hudson’s Instagram account. But after the Giants legend asked what “Patriots Bill Belichick” would say to “UNC Bill Belichick,” the 73-year-old didn’t take the bait, providing an answer more focused on Tar Heels general manager Michael Lombardi than his 24-year-old girlfriend.
“For me, it’s all about learning. I learn every day and I’ve learned so much being back in the college environment with whether it be recruiting, the college game, the rules, the hash marks, some strategy, and just putting a team together. But I’ve learned a lot,” Belichick said. “I’ve got a great staff. Michael Lombardi’s done a great job for me in terms of bringing the personnel side of it together and us having a shared vision… it’s still football, but there’s certainly some differences.”
Much like Super Bowl XLII, Strahan didn’t let Belichick off the hook.
The 53-year-old former pass-rusher proceeded to specifically ask about the attention his relationship with Hudson has received in recent weeks. And while the Tar Heels head coach has previously stated that she’s not involved with his program, he also provided new details regarding the professional aspect of his relationship with the ex-Bridgewater State cheerleader.
“She does the business things that don’t relate to North Carolina that come up in my life so I can concentrate on football and and that’s really what I want to do,” Belichick said. “I acknowledged her in the book. She was very helpful on that with the tribute pages and also giving a perspective of the book from kind of a business side. You know, sometimes I get a little football technical and she did a good job of keeping me on balance there.”
Strahan didn’t stop there, asking Belichick what Hudson means to him from a personal aspect. At that point, the 3-time NFL Coach of the Year flatly evaded the question, stating, “we have a good personal relationship. I’m not talking about personal relationships, Michael, you know that.” That prompted the Fox NFL Sunday star to ask the former Patriots head coach if he’s happy, to which Belichick merely replied, “yeah” before letting out a hearty laugh after Strahan made a joke about him doing yoga.
Despite Bill Belichick doing his best to avoid addressing the topic, his answer regarding his professional relationship with Jordon Hudson was noteworthy nonetheless. Over the course of the past few weeks, there has been plenty made about the beauty pageant contestant’s potential involvement in the North Carolina program, including reports that she played a key role in ending HBO’s Hard Knocks series focused on the program and has since been banned from the Tar Heels’ football facility.
As for their personal relationship, that’s clearly something that Bill Belichick will continue to avoid discussing publicly. But if nothing else, his interview with Michael Strahan — and Hudson’s absence — may have provided some insight into his new post-CBS PR strategy.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.