Bill Belichick’s personal life is his personal life. But at this point, it’s beginning to get difficult to separate it from his professional life.
While Belichick and his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, have been dating since at least last June, their relationship has been on full display in the months since he first became North Carolina’s head coach. And it appears that’s likely not a coincidence, with new information suggesting that the 24-year-old former Bridgewater State University cheerleader significantly influences her 72-year-old boyfriend’s football program.
Earlier this week, Charlotte Wilder discussed North Carolina’s decision to drop out of a Hard Knocks-style show with HBO on her podcast, The Sports Gossip Show. In doing so, the former Meadowlark Media host shared that Hudson had played a factor in the Tar Heels’ change of heart, with “creative control” issues being used as a cover.
“Remember how we said last week we were pretty sure the reason UNC Hard Knocks was not happening was because the ‘creative control issues’ were actually code for ‘Jordon Hudson wanted to be more involved in some capacity?'” Wilder asked co-host Madeline Hill. “I heard from a source, very trusted, that that is the truth.”
While Wilder said that nobody at UNC had confirmed her reporting and qualified the nugget as “alleged news,” the idea of Hudson having a significant say in the Tar Heels program made additional headlines on Thursday. After filing a FOIA request with the university, The Assembly higher education reporter Matt Hartman obtained an email from Belichick to a North Carolina staffer requesting that Hudson be copied on all emails between the two moving forward.
“I am including Jordon on this email so she can keep up with our postings,” the eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach wrote in a reply to senior associate athletic director Robbi Pickeral Evans. “Can you include her on anything you send to me? Thanks.”
Although it would hardly be a surprise if the master of “SnapFace” is technologically deficient and thus needs assistance with his emails, his requesting that his girlfriend be copied on every message he receives from a staffer only furthers the notion that Hudson’s role with the Tar Heels is more than just being a supportive girlfriend.
It’s also worth noting that all of this comes just weeks after Pablo Torre revealed that Belichick’s girlfriend had been viewed by many as his “de facto” agent and that she had even used her influence to secure a cameo in a Dunkin Super Bowl ad.
What does all of this mean? At this point, it’s too early to know, and it’s again worth mentioning that at least some aspect of this is still Bill Belichick’s personal life.
But if the Tar Heels get off to a sluggish start or underwhelm on the field in the Belichick era, it’s not difficult to imagine the finger-pointing that would likely occur, especially regarding the apparent input that the head coach’s girlfriend has in the entire operation.
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.