Bill Belichick is 'playing second fiddle' to girlfriend Jordon Hudson at UNC as debut season fast approaches

Bill Belichick is continuing to 'play second fiddle' to his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson as he hurtles toward his first season in charge of North Carolina.

The legendary NFL coach has endured an embarrassing start to life in college football, with Hudson repeatedly overshadowing him as he prepares to coach UNC.

In various TV interviews and viral moments, the former cheerleader has taken center stage and many reports even claim that Belichick's family is 'worried' about him.

Now, her impact has been laid bare by college football analyst Paul Finebaum, who appeared on ESPN's First Take this week.

'Also, there's Bill Belichick... anybody heard of this guy?' he said while previewing the ACC. 'He's only the most famous NFL coach of all-time this side of Vince Lombardi, but lately he's played second fiddle to his girlfriend.

'I can't believe I'm actually saying that, but I am!'

The pair's high-profile relationship is also causing a tidal wave of backlash from alumni, donors and even faculty at UNC, who believe the age-gap relationship is eclipsing Belichick's coaching debut - and tarnishing the school's reputation. 

While the headline-grabbing couple have drawn media attention since they went public in 2023, newly released emails obtained by the Daily Mail through a public records request expose the internal uproar over what critics are calling a 'disgrace' and a 'circus.'

In one message from late April, a furious donor wrote: 'What a total embarrassment to UNC. I am withdrawing all my donations and future donations.'

Another, from a faculty member, slammed the $10 million, five-year deal handed to Belichick despite his lack of college coaching experience, and questioned how the university could afford it. 

Perhaps the most eye-opening moment came back in April when Belichick was interviewed on CBS Sunday Morning about the release of his new book.

In bizarre fashion, Hudson became the focus of the interview when she repeatedly derailed the interview and interrupted to shut down questions about how the pair met.

There was further controversy over a report that UNC had banned Hudson from their football facility, after she was spotted on the field during a team practice session. 

That was later clarified by the team, who insisted they had not placed any ban on Hudson, nor planned to. 

In May, journalist Pablo Torre claimed that Hudson went out of her way to hijack a TV commercial that Belichick had been asked to do, specifically insisting that she was on screen in a bikini, in a bizarre bid to 'hard launch' their relationship. 

'There was one famous story that was witnessed by, I am told, dozens of people, including freelance contractors who were hired to work on the set of a seven-figure scripted commercial,' he said on his podcast, Pablo Torre Finds Out.

'What I am told by among the dozens of people that witnessed the shooting of this, is what happened that day on set was "highly unusual." 

'Jordon Hudson, who was at the time a person they kind of heard about, but again this was last summer… had arrived on set and stated immediately pitching herself for a role that had not been discussed in this scripted seven-figure commercial shoot. That would also serve as "the hard launch" of their relationship.'

Belichick's incessant off-field drama is the polar opposite to what he accepted from his players during his coaching run at the New England Patriots, which makes it all the more interesting.

Constant headlines over the past year has sent media and fan interest through the roof as he prepares to take charge of his first game at the collegiate level, at home against TCU on September 1. 

Hudson and Belichick, who have a near-50 year age gap, first met in 2021 and went public with their relationship in 2024, though confusion still reigns over when exactly they began dating.

Prior to being with Hudson, Belichick was in a long-term, 16-year relationship with Linda Holliday from 2007 to late 2022.