Bill Belichick is making his way back in front of the media after the awkward “CBS Sunday Morning” interview last month set off a firestorm of intrigue and speculation about his relationship with his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson, and her influence on the football coach.
The six-time Super Bowl-winning coach and current head coach at the University of North Carolina is trying to put the focus back on football, and apparently UNC is doing all it can to keep it there.
Local North Carolina station WRAL did a lengthy interview with Belichick that they released on Tuesday from down at the ACC Spring Meetings, but they refrained from asking any questions related to Hudson.
In a message before the unedited interview, WRAL’s Brian Murphy explained that UNC had asked that the station “keep questions to football.”
“Hi, I’m Brian Murphy with WRAL News,” Murphy said. “We’re here at Amelia Island, Florida, at the ACC spring meetings, and we’re talking with UNC football coach Bill Belichick about the attention that his program has gotten since his hire in December and how he plans to rebuild the Tar Heel football program. The question that we didn’t ask was about Jordon Hudson, his girlfriend, and creative muse. UNC asked that we keep questions to football. Here is our full, unedited interview with Bill Belichick.”
The roughly six-minute interview was, as Murphy said, focused on football and Belichick’s plan for the UNC football program.
Amid the ongoing interest in his relationship with Hudson, who is 49 years his junior, Belichick is starting a new chapter in a way, entering his first year as a college football head coach.
Since the drama that swirled in the weeks that followed the CBS interview, UNC has brought in a PR professional in Brandon Faber to be their new head of football communications.
Belichick also did his first interview since the CBS debacle on Tuesday on SportsCenter, where the Hudson question was asked.
“That’s really off to the side, it’s a personal relationship,” he said. “She doesn’t have anything to do with UNC football.”
The football coach will also appear on “Good Morning America” on Friday for an interview with Michael Strahan.