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North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick appears to remain cemented in athletic director Lawrence R. “Bubba” Cunningham’s good graces.
Cunningham’s department recently denied reports saying Belichick’s girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, was effectively banned from UNC’s athletics department and team buildings.
On Tuesday, Cunningham shared some details about the working relationship he’s built with the former NFL coach.
North Carolina Tar Heels football head coach Bill Belichick and girlfriend Jordon Hudson during the first half of a game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils at Dean E. Smith Center March 8, 2025, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
“Bill’s been great to work with,” Cunningham told ESPN. “He talked about practicing like a pro, and he runs a professional organization that is teaching students how to be professional in all aspects of their life. He is a very determined, professional individual, and that’s the way he carries himself and the way he conducts the program.”
PRESSURE RAMPS UP ON KEY BILL BELICHICK DATE AMID SCRUTINY ON RELATIONSHIP
While Cunningham was willing to go into detail about Belichick’s football-related relationships, he was less forthcoming when questions were raised about Belichick’s personal life. When Cunningham was asked a question suggesting Hudson’s presence created “distractions,” he sidestepped, saying, “Bill is an incredibly focused person.”
Head coach Bill Belichick, left, of the North Carolina Tar Heels poses with athletic director Bubba Cunningham during a press conference Dec. 12, 2024, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Cunningham made the comments the same day as Belichick’s appearance on ESPN. During the interview, the six-time Super Bowl winner said his romance with Hudson is “off to the side.”
“It’s a personal relationship, and she doesn’t have anything to do with UNC football,” Belichick said.
New North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick speaks to the media at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. (Jim Dedmon/Imagn Images)
The discussion also marked the 73-year-old’s first televised interview since his infamous sitdown with “CBS News Sunday Morning.”
The interview was part of a promotional tour for Belichick’s new book, “The Art of Winning — Lessons from My Life in Football.” At times during the conversation, Hudson was accused of attempting to assert her control.
Hudson also faced criticism over her reported involvement in North Carolina losing out on the opportunity to be featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” According to The Athletic, Hudson played an “instrumental role” in HBO pulling the plug on the potential production of the UNC-focused docuseries.
The report also noted that Hudson had asked to be “heavily involved with the project.”
Belichick has been publicly linked to the 24-year-old Hudson since 2023. In a statement released after the CBS interview, Belichick said he met Hudson on a flight in 2021.
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