Bill Belichick signed up for an interview to talk about his book, not his girlfriend who is 49 years younger than him.
Things got awkward on “CBS Mornings” when the former Patriots coach’s girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, stepped in to shut down a line of questioning about their relationship.
“We’re not talking about this,” Hudson said from off-camera when Belichick was asked how the two had met.
According to Pro Football Talk, Hudson interrupted the interview “multiple times,” which is why CBS chose to include the off-camera comments.
The relationship between the 73-year-old Belichick and the 24-year-old Hudson has been a point of discussion and criticism over the past year. Since Belichick took the head coaching job at North Carolina, Hudson has stepped into a more visible role, in which she appears to be trying to manage Belichick’s public image.
That was the case during Belichick’s interview with CBS. Interviewer Tony Dokoupil noted that Hudson “was a constant presence during our interview.”
Dokoupil did manage to ask one question about the relationship. He asked Belichick how he handles all the outside criticism about his personal life.
“Never been too worried about what everybody else thinks,” Belichick said. “Just try to do what I feel like is best for me and what’s right.”
The exchange with Hudson was the focal point of what amounted to an awkward interview, during which Belichick wore a tattered Navy sweatshirt with a large hole near the collar.
The purpose of Belichick’s interview was to promote his new book, “The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football.” However, the fallout of the segment has focused on other things.
In addition to the awkward exchange with Hudson, the interview highlighted the fact that Belichick did not even mention Patriots chair Robert Kraft or address his departure from New England.
Story by Nick O’Malley, MassLive.com.
