As the saying goes, there’s no fool like an old fool.
And right now, there’s no old fool like Bill Belichick.
That grumpy genius in a cut-off sweatshirt — the eight-time Super Bowl championship coach whose scowling, cantankerous ways has molded many a man into a winner — is putting his legacy in harm’s way for a bit of young tail.
And he, and only he, is to blame.
The 73-year-old has empowered his girlfriend Jordon Hudson, a 24-year-old recent college cheerleader, to be the CEO, CMO and COO of Belichick Corporation — and we’re seeing how poor governance can really sink a brand.
When the couple debuted in late 2024, eyebrows were raised over their 49-year age difference and the effect she has on notoriously private and gruff Belichick. He seemed … giddy. I thought it was a kooky pairing, but good for them.
A minor alarm bell rang when it was revealed in March that Belichick, who is now coaching at the University of North Carolina, had asked for Hudson to be CC’d on his correspondence with the department’s comms team.
And it was kind of weird to see the TikTok of her — in high white boots — posing on the field during spring practice.
Then on Sunday, the full breadth of their unwise entanglement became clear, as Hudson sabotaged what should have been a breezy “CBS Sunday Morning” interview with the coaching great, pegged to his new book, “The Art of Winning – Lessons from My Life in Football.”
Lesson One: Don’t do what Hudson did.
Lesson Two: Don’t be the man who lets her.
When correspondent Tony Dokoupil asked Belichick how he and his gal pal met, Hudson threw a flag from the sidelines, stopping play. She issued a stern warning: “We’re not talking about this.”
That was reportedly only one of many interruptions from Hudson, who is even said to have stormed off set — so no wonder CBS included it in the final segment.
It led to speculation that perhaps they didn’t meet on a flight, as had previously been reported. It also led to certainty that she is the one driving this bus. Even if she has no license.
As backlash mounted, Belichick tried to run cover for her.
He put out a preposterous crybaby statement, blaming CBS for overstepping. He wrote that he “clearly communicated” to his book publicist that all interviews would “solely” focus on his book.
“I was surprised when unrelated topics were introduced and I repeatedly expressed to the reporter, Tony Dokoupil, and the producers that I preferred to keep the conversation centered on the book,” it read —adding that Hudson was “simply doing her job.”
CBS countered: “When we agreed to speak with Mr. Belichick, it was for a wide-ranging interview … [with] no preconditions or limitations.”
Sorry, coach, but in what world would “CBS Sunday Morning,” an iconic show that focuses on human interest, agree to only ask you about the book?
But hey, if Hudson didn’t post cheeseball photos of her and Belichick doing “Billates” on the sand and cosplaying as mermaid and horny fisherman, then perhaps there wouldn’t be so much human interest in what the hell has gotten into this man.
He has publicly aligned himself with her both personally and professionally, making questions about their relationship fair game; to avoid them would be journalistic malpractice.
And if you are promoting a book about your life, you simply can’t have it both ways.
Is Belichick that naive — or does he think we’re that dumb?
Or maybe, hear me out, he just has the most clueless “publicist” on the planet advising him.
By allowing Hudson to torpedo that interview, Belichick ensured that people are now digging into every nook and cranny of her life — including her $8 million real estate portfolio.
Not to mention how her meddling has interfered with business at UNC.
Page Six reported that Hudson tanked UNC’s deal to do the gridiron docu-series “Hard Knocks” with her imperious demands, including that she be named an executive producer. “The ‘Hard Knocks’ people were like, we can’t deal with this goodbye, and they walked away,” a source said.
Belichick’s friends are reportedly worried, but seem to be pussy-footing around this obvious debacle. At least Charles Barkley has said he plans to “reach out” and is “concerned with what I am hearing. It’s not a good look right now, I’ll admit that.”
Meanwhile, Jennifer Schmitt — who is married to Belichick’s son Stephen — chimed in on an instagram discussion where former Patriot Julian Edelman said Hudson was acting as his publicist.
“Publicists act in a professional manner and don’t ‘storm’ off set, delaying an interview,” wrote Schmitt.
Maybe she should replace Hudson as her father-in-law’s rep.
One of the golden rules in sports is don’t be a distraction. Hudson is more than that — she’s a liability.
The only way to fix this mess is for him to fire his girlfriend. And start listening to some adults.
