Leaked emails shed light on Jordon Hudson's role in Bill Belichick's controversial CBS appearance
The buzz surrounding Bill Belichick's awkward April CBS interview just got a lot clearer, thanks to a set of revealing emails obtained by WRAL News through a public records request.
These emails offer an inside look into what really happened that day, why 24-year-old Jordon Hudson made an unexpected appearance, and how Belichick planned to manage the wave of criticism that followed.
The real reason Jordon Hudson was present at Bill Belichick's CBS interview
The sit-down with CBS was originally organized to spotlight Belichick's latest book, 'The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football.' But the moment quickly spiraled when CBS host Tony Dokoupil asked about the former Patriots coach's relationship with Hudson.
As the question was posed, Hudson abruptly interjected from off-camera, firmly stating, 'We're not talking about this.' Her interruption triggered a flurry of online reactions and left many questioning how much influence she wielded over Belichick's personal and professional affairs.
In a series of emails addressed to high-ranking officials at the University of North Carolina—where Belichick now coaches—the legendary football mind explained her presence and defended her involvement.
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According to Belichick, Hudson was not only invited but also served a specific role. 'Jordon was present at the CBS interview because David Kass, the Simon & Schuster publicist, was not there,' he wrote. 'I included Jordon in the book acknowledgments because she was a creative contributor to the book, including having the idea for formatting the 4 special pages in the book.
'
Despite Belichick's claims, a source familiar with the interview setup indicated that Hudson planned to attend regardless of Kass's availability.
Yet Belichick doubled down on her relevance to his media efforts. 'Jordon and I have both a personal & professional relationship,' he explained. 'This is not a secret. Jordon assists me with my personal media, which is why I asked UNC to forward media requests (E.G. CBS 60 Minutes) to her.
Jordon has zero involvement in the UNC football program, beyond the degree that my personal media intersects with it.'
Belichick also pushed back against the notion that Hudson's interjection was possessive or controlling.
He maintained that her actions were an effort to keep the interview focused. 'Jordon was not dodging the specific question regarding how we met, but rather was preventing the interview from continuing to probe into personal matters,' he noted in another email. He acknowledged their chance meeting in 2021 during a flight to Palm Beach, which had been publicly known.
He went on to clarify that the interview had stayed on topic for 'approximately 35 uninterrupted minutes' before veering off course.
According to Belichick, this detour was not part of the pre-agreed terms with his publicist. 'Then, the questions shifted to other subjects that were not related to The Art of Winning, which we had outlined as off-limits with my book publicist,' he emphasized.
The controversy even triggered concern from UNC alumni, some of whom reportedly emailed the university, worried that the school was becoming a 'laughing stock in the sports world' due to Belichick's relationship with Hudson.
Ultimately, in his private communication to UNC, Belichick admitted he was navigating uncharted waters. 'I don't want to make a wrong move here,' he wrote, highlighting the delicacy of the situation. His team and UNC eventually released a public statement on April 30 to address the backlash and reinforce the original purpose of the interview.
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