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It’s a slightly new look for Bill Belichick.
When UNC introduced Belichick, most of us knew exactly what we were getting. The so-called Hoodie is a curmudgeon of a coach, usually stoic until he celebrated another Super Bowl win.
At his three press conferences so far in Chapel Hill, Belichick was just as we expected. He was the opposite of talkative Mack Brown, who stayed until the last question.
Chapel Bill did look effusive on a video clip last week telling the Tar Heels they would play in Dublin next season. He seemed excited and his players whooped and hollered.
In four months, he will begin regular weekly press conferences and his live radio show. It has been held at Top of the Hill for years, but so far there has been no confirmation it will be there or in the studio. Doing radio and TV shows are part of his contract with Learfield, just like he had with the Patriots.
So we knew that personal privacy and professional confidentiality were part of his game. Sure, his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson was a conversation piece but mostly due to their 48-year age difference. Almost everywhere he has been seen, she is by his side.
HBO Films announced that Belichick and his new program would be part of the popular NFL preseason show Hard Knocks, which caused a stir because it has been exclusively a pro football feature. Some NFL owners weren’t happy.
We thought that was the reason HBO cancelled just before spring practice, but it later leaked out that Belichick wanted Hudson to be an associate producer of the series, despite her having little or no TV experience, and HBO would not agree.
UNC confirmed that all emails to Belichick should go to Hudson before they went to her boss and boyfriend. She soon took a step further with a statement saying Steve Belichick should not be called Bill’s son because Carolina’s new defensive coordinator had his own coaching resume, and it wasn’t nepotism.
During a recent interview with the CBS affiliate in Boston to pitch his new book, Belichick answered questions about his career. The talking TV head asked him about reactions from having such a young partner. He responded the way he did to cheeky questions from sportswriters covering the Patriots – it was his business, and he didn’t care what anyone thought.
“How did you two meet?” was the next question.
Hudson, who was off camera in the recording studio, interrupted and said, “We’re not talking about this.” In earlier interviews, she revealed they had met on a plane a few years ago.
The station showed pictures of them from an Instagram account (Belichick called it “Intstaface”), and he said he never looks at social media. They were at the beach, and in one shot the former college cheerleader was balancing on Bill’s legs, sort of a famous Dirty Dancing pose.
The Hoodie’s privacy has gone a little public.
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
