When Bill Belichick agreed to take over at North Carolina, there were already plenty of eyebrows raised.
After all, it’s not every day you see a six-time Super Bowl champion walk away from the NFL and decide to dive into the world of college football a couple of years later — especially at a place that’s not exactly a perennial powerhouse.
It was a bold move, no question. But now, it’s starting to feel less like a bold move and more like the start of a full-blown circus.
The latest reports coming out of Chapel Hill aren't exactly reassuring. According to several outlets, including TMZ, concerns are growing within the UNC program about the influence Belichick’s girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, is having on his tenure. And honestly? It's not hard to see why Tar Heel fans might be beginning to freak out a little.
Hudson, who was already rumored to be pulling the strings behind the scenes, reportedly interrupted a CBS interview Belichick was doing to promote his new book — storming out at one point and delaying the whole thing for nearly half an hour. This isn’t just a bad look; it’s downright messy.
My Sunday morning routine is always coffee and CBS Sunday Morning. It’s a feel good show. The opposite of controversial. So image my surprise this morning when they had the most awkward Bill Belichick interview I’ve ever seen. Like I was squirming in my seat pic.twitter.com/1p6XjwsTfk
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) April 27, 2025
And that's not even scratching the surface. Belichick has reportedly asked UNC staffers to copy Hudson on all emails involving him. She’s essentially operating as his de facto agent, overseeing everything from appearances to social media perceptions. Forget just trying to rebuild a program, the Tar Heels are now balancing the personal drama of their head coach and trying to run a college football program at the same time. How exactly is that supposed to work?
Let’s be real here: there were already enough questions about how Belichick’s style would translate to college. Recruiting is a totally different beast than the NFL. Managing 18-year-olds is a whole different challenge than scheming against Andy Reid. Now you add in off-the-field drama like this? It feels like North Carolina signed up for a masterclass in dysfunction.
Look, Bill Belichick is one of the greatest football minds of all time. That’s not up for debate. But he’s also notoriously stubborn, and it’s pretty clear he’s enthralled with Hudson’s role in his life right now. So much so that it's starting to seep into his professional work in a way that could absolutely derail the Tar Heels before the season even kicks off.
UNC should be focusing on rebuilding a football program that has struggled to stay relevant nationally. Instead, they’re managing optics, and that's not the kind of distraction any program wants. Plus, the whole "come here because we're like the NFL" monicker only goes so far. That's great that Belichick is there and has NFL experience, but when Texas, Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, and a bevy others can also say how they develop NFL talent, that point seems moot.
At this point, it’s fair to wonder how long it’ll be before the whole thing blows up. Belichick wasn’t exactly known for being patient with media drama or administrative red tape in the NFL. College football is packed with both. If this situation continues spiraling the way it already seems to be, don’t be surprised if UNC becomes the punchline of college football by midseason.