North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick is working to redirect attention back to football after weeks of media scrutiny following his controversial CBS interview.
The interview, where Belichick’s girlfriend Jordon Hudson interjected during questioning, sparked widespread criticism. However, recent appearances suggest the narrative may be shifting.
“It feels like things are leveling off a little for Belichick, who has found safe harbor in a slew of interviews, like the one he did with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America, where he’s managed to say very little,” Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer wrote. “Which, I guess, means having some real public-relations people on hand has helped.”
Belichick addressed the situation during multiple media appearances last week, including at ACC spring meetings, on Good Morning America, and on Ryan Clark’s The Pivot podcast.
The coach recently brought on sports PR veteran Brandon Faber to manage his media image, a move that appears to have reduced Hudson’s public-facing role.
Belichick confirmed Hudson remains involved in other aspects of his professional life.
“She’s been terrific through the whole process, and she’s been really helpful to me,” Belichick said. “She does the business things that don’t relate to North Carolina that come up in my life, so I can concentrate on football — and that’s really what I want to do.”
The controversy stemmed partly from Hudson’s involvement with media requests. Belichick explained he asked UNC to copy Hudson on emails about media requests after his hiring.
“Because all emails are shared publicly, that was taken as Jordon’s running the sports information department,” Belichick said on The Pivot. “And that also led to a narrative, which is just totally — she’s not doing it.”
With a professional PR team now in place and media attention beginning to wane, Belichick can potentially refocus on his primary responsibility: winning football games at North Carolina.
