Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who currently holds the same title with the University of North Carolina, was scrambling to get his side of the story about an infamous interview that involved his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, and the whole process of what happened has been made available.
Raleigh, North Carolina-based television station WRAL obtained emails and text messages from UNC that gave a glimpse into how Belichick and the school scrambled to get the messaging correct after a “CBS Sunday Morning” interview that was supposed to focus on his book turned to the relationship between Belichick and Hudson after Hudson interjected herself during the interview.
The first set of messages focused on Belichick and his desire to ensure the messaging was precise and limit any damage that would happen in the future.
“I don’t want to make a wrong move here,” Belichick wrote in a text message.
In other messages, Belichick began detailing the nature of his relationship with Hudson, saying the fact the two had been dating was not being hidden and that her role was for personal business and not matters related to the school, as Belichick had mentioned in recent interviews.
“Jordon and I have both a personal & professional relationship,” Belichick wrote in the email. “This is not a secret. Jordon assists me with my personal media, which is why I asked UNC to forward media requests (e.g., CBS ’60 Minutes’) to her. Jordon has zero involvement in the UNC football program, beyond the degree that my personal media intersects with it.”
WRAL stated that the initial interview went on for 35 minutes before reporter Tony Dokoupil turned the attention to “off-limit” subjects such as Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his relationship with Hudson. The records also claim that Hudson was being recorded during the interview without their knowledge.
“Secretly, CBS had a camera focused on Jordon where lead producer Gabe instructed her to sit,” Belichick wrote in an email.
WRAL added that there were discussions for Belichick and CBS to do a “walk and talk” after the interview was over, but an agreement was not made.
The concerns about Hudson’s involvement in Belichick’s personal life led to many people, including former New England Patriots players, to question whether Belichick was the right person to coach North Carolina. Those concerns were downplayed by the school’s chancellor, Lee Roberts, who said the impact Belichick had made to the program, especially ticket sales, was significant as UNC has sold out for the upcoming season.
“We increased the price of our season tickets, and we sold them out,” Roberts said in May. “We see the same thing on sponsorships, marketing and the attention to our program. The game against TCU on Sept. 1 is going to be a national primetime game, so we’re delighted about all the attention being paid to Carolina football, and we’re excited to see the season.”
Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.