Bill Simmons and Pablo Torre settled their recent disagreement Tuesday on Simmons’ podcast. The two debated Torre’s reporting on Bill Belichick’s relationship with Jordon Hudson.
The sports media personalities clashed after Simmons criticized Torre’s coverage of Belichick and Hudson, a 24-year-old former cheerleader. Torre reported in May that North Carolina officials were concerned about Hudson’s influence on Belichick.
Torre’s reporting included claims that Hudson was banned from campus. He also reported that Belichick’s colleagues worried she was harming his reputation.
Simmons took issue with Torre’s reporting and his subsequent interviews with Vanity Fair and The Athletic.
The 90-Minute Debate
The conversation lasted nearly 90 minutes. Both hosts mocked the idea they were actually feuding.
"Pablo Torre’s here," Simmons said. "We’re beefing, big beef."
“Which camera can I look into to stress how angry I am,” Torre deadpanned.
"We have a disagreement about this Belichick thing," Simmons continued. "I thought it would be fun to just to argue about it. Embrace debate, like old-school, 2010 ESPN."
Simmons argued Torre’s reporting was in poor taste and wasn’t newsworthy. Torre disagreed.
The Boston native admitted his Patriots fandom influenced his perspective. His admiration for Belichick made the Hudson coverage harder to accept.
"There’s a small piece of this that felt a little mean to me because I don’t know what’s going on with him," Simmons said. "I think this is kind of alarming how this has gone. … Something about this makes me uneasy."
Torre Defends His Reporting
Torre explained his approach to journalism. He acknowledged finding the Belichick-Hudson story "stupid" but said media coverage often focuses on developments involving public figures.
"That’s my perspective on how sports is both smart and stupid," Torre said. "And you know this. I’m in a building that is premised on your empire doing something very similar to that."
"It’s true," Simmons admitted.
Torre provided additional details about the relationship’s impact at North Carolina. He cited concerns from people close to Belichick, including Mike Lombardi.
"What if I told you that Bill Belichick’s own family has been deeply concerned about this?" Torre said. "What if I told you that his inner circle of actual coaches on staff, including a certain Mike Lombardi, is deeply concerned about Jordon Hudson and her presence in the building?"
Torre reported that North Carolina expected to get the focused Belichick from his Patriots days. Hudson’s presence changed that expectation.
"The people around Belichick, professionally and personally, as well as the administrators at North Carolina — their life behind the scenes has been shaped, reshaped, blown up, by having to deal with Jordon Hudson," Torre said.
He added: "And when they hired Bill Belichick for this job, they thought they were getting New England Bill Belichick. They got — I cannot stress this enough — they got the exact opposite."
The Belichick-Hudson relationship continues generating headlines. That’s unlikely to change as college football season approaches.
Simmons and Torre appeared to resolve their disagreement. Neither changed their original position much during the conversation.
