May 7, 2025 • 18 mins
Bill Belichick has always been a master of control—on the field, in the press, and with his own narrative. But this episode examines how that carefully crafted reputation is unraveling, not because of a fumbled statement, but due to the outsize influence of his much-younger girlfriend, Jordan Hudson.
A viral CBS interview, public statements blaming the media, and confusion about her expanding “professional” role—all illustrate a pattern where the desire to squash uncomfortable questions only fuels more curiosity and suspicion for the current UNC football coach.
Using the latest PR missteps as a case study, the episode spotlights the danger of losing control over the story to someone whose only real credential is main character energy. When boundary issues and amateur crisis management collide, even New England legends risk getting steamrolled by bad optics. The tension between protecting privacy and inviting chaos gets put under the spotlight, challenging listeners to recognize when a message stops being strategy and starts becoming farce.
In this episode:
- The real cost of outsourcing reputation management to someone with minimal experience and maximum influence
- Why blaming the media—and the audience—always backfires, no matter how famous you are
- How losing internal boundaries blurs personal and professional roles, turning even legacy brands into tabloid fodder
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Molly McPherson (00:00):
Jordan was a constant presence during our
interview.
It's a topic neither one ofthem is comfortable commenting
on.
That's WBZ's take on BillBelichick's car crash interview.
You all know the story If youlisten to this podcast.
You know the story Because lastweek I discussed briefly Bill
Belichick's interview with CBSabout his book.
(00:25):
Did you all know he had a bookcoming out?
No, you probably still don'tknow, but this is what it's
about Now.
Wbz is an affiliate of CBS andthey're the ones who did the
interview with Tony DiCubo.
He sat down with Bill Belichickand, of course, jordan Hudson.
Bill Belichick's 24-year-oldgirlfriend was in the background
, but very much in control.
This week's episode it's aboutcontrol or, more accurately, the
(00:51):
loss of it.
Bill Belichick built alegendary coaching career on
staying two steps ahead of hisplayers, of the press, of anyone
trying to pin him down.
But now the man who gave us ison to something else entirely
Awkward interviews, botchedmedia deals and a girlfriend
(01:11):
who's stealing the spotlight andrerouting his reputation.
So today's episode is aboutBill Belichick's girlfriend and
her main character, energy,because, honestly, it is
breaking his brand.
Hey there, welcome back to thepodcast.
I'm your host, molly McPherson,and we have a PR breakdown this
(01:33):
week.
I have to be honest, I'mrecording this only hours after
I released the episode from lastweek.
All about Bill Belichick.
I also talked about Blake andRyan and, of course, another
sports story that seems so farin the past now, but Bill
Belichick is breaking all the PRrules for getting out of a PR
(01:55):
mess.
This is now a story that hasbeen extended in the news cycle.
Why, because of the choicesthat he's making this week, no
one is talking about BillBelichick's football strategy.
Everyone's talking about hisreputation, and I'm talking
about his reputational strategyand why Belichick, one of the
(02:15):
most disciplined, controlled andsuccessful coaches in NFL
history, is suddenly in the kindof media storm he spent decades
avoiding.
Now, as I mentioned, thenow-viral CBS Morning interview
with Tony DiCupo, he sat downwith Bill Belichick and asked
the question that really anyinterviewer would ask.
(02:38):
Cbs is having quite a run.
We have Gayle King who honestly, I wonder if she did this
interview.
I bet maybe she wouldn't askthe question.
I'm just saying I think TonyDiCupo is trying to make waves
there as a journalist, but alsothe executive producer of 60
(02:59):
Minutes stepped down.
He was basically shown the doorbecause CBS is in the middle of
trying to be acquired byParamount.
So there's a lot more at stakehere.
I don't know what CBS thinks ofthis interview.
They're getting a lot ofchatter, so it's probably a good
thing, but anything that getsin the way of this potential
(03:19):
merger becomes a problem.
But the bigger problem is forBill Belichick.
He's been out there trying topromote his new book, the Art of
Winning Lessons from my Life inFootball.
Try to remember that name,because you'll immediately
forget it, because no one'sgoing to remember the title of
this book.
All they're going to rememberis the publicity tour in the
run-up to publishing the book.
(03:41):
And I'm so sorry to keeplaughing, but this really is
funny to me.
I just posted on TikTok thatthis is my Super Bowl.
I don't take glee in people'sdownfalls, but I like
identifying problems that I seein my work as a crisis
management strategist and seeingit on full display.
(04:01):
And when it happens, in storiesthat everyone happens to be
talking about, well, better yet,because now more people can
learn the lesson.
So, after Belichick left thePatriots after 24 seasons and
six Super Bowl wins, all viewedin my living room, if you
haven't heard me say it before,we're a New England family.
My goodness, my kids.
They grew up with the mosticonic Boston sports teams out
(04:25):
there, and Bill Belichick withTom Brady were a big part of
that conversation.
But he's now the head coach atUNC, stepping into a college
program for the first time inhis career.
But this book is not what peopleare talking about.
They're talking about his24-year-old girlfriend, jordan
Hudson.
She interrupted the CBS.
(04:46):
Well, I don't even need to tellyou.
Take a listen, you have Jordanright over there.
Everybody in the world seems tobe following this relationship.
They've got an opinion aboutyour private life.
It's got nothing to do withthem, but they're invested in it
.
How do you deal with that?
Never been too worried aboutwhat everybody else thinks.
Just try to do what I feel likeis best for me and what's right
(05:08):
.
How did you guys meet, nottalking about this?
No surprise, it went viral andit pulled the focus from the
book and getting the book outthere and setting him up to be a
keynote speaker, which I can'timagine him as a keynote speaker
.
I don't know.
It'd be interesting to see him,but I don't see him captivating
a room quite like he's doingright now.
(05:29):
But the topic that was broughtup in the interview was how they
met, which, when you have arelationship when there's nearly
50 years between the man andthe woman, that's a talking
point and one he could easilylean into and then move off of.
But he didn't.
He's stumbling on it becauseJordan got in the way.
(05:50):
And here's why this isn't just amedia blip.
It is now a reputationalpattern and it's not going away.
And Bill Belichick isn't thefirst to do this.
Plenty of people and brands outthere have done this.
But let's break it down.
One Belichick built his brandon control.
That's who he is Short answers,zero emotion, tactical
(06:12):
precision, zero Fs, that's theappeal.
He doesn't need handlers, hedoesn't let anyone near the
narrative because he controlsthe narrative.
But now two, that control hasbeen outsourced.
So, according to multiplereports, jordan Hudson not only
interrupted the CBS interview,she reportedly delayed
(06:34):
production, stormed off set andis copied on UNC coaching emails
.
This is not a private life,this is her influence in the
operations of Bill Belichick,and three main character energy
doesn't play at UNC, it reallydoesn't play in college football
(06:56):
.
The athletes they're the oneswith the contracts, they're the
ones trying to make it into theNFL.
Coaches can be the narrative.
Coaches can be the narrative.
Coaches can be a part of theplot.
Certainly, bill Belichick isgoing to be the fact that he
went from the NFL.
He and Robert Kraft had adisagreement.
In the interview Belichick saidit was a mutual decision, but
(07:18):
Robert Kraft he very much issaying that Bill Belichick was
fired.
But this was going to be aunique era at UNC.
They were going to get a lot ofeyeballs, a lot of interest,
sell a lot of tickets.
There's going to be a lot ofmoney and interest coming into
UNC, but now they're turninginto a laughingstock.
It's turning into realitytelevision.
It's no longer about the SECecosystem.
(07:41):
It's not about boosters andplayers and every recruit
watching wanting to get into theprogram and instead of
leadership they're just seeingconfusion and blurred lines and
a coach who looks like he'sbeing managed by a girl who
could have come out of UNC twoyears earlier but she didn't.
She went to Bridgewater Stateen masse.
(08:01):
But the response after thebacklash from this interview,
which I'm going to tell you, Inoticed it right away.
These things don't get by me.
Not that long ago, belichickissued a formal statement
through UNC.
So I'm recording this episodelast Wednesday, I'm traveling
this weekend and also thefollowing week, I have speaking
of college.
I'm going to my daughter'scollege graduation and then on
(08:23):
Monday I'm speaking in Torontogosh for a big event and the
saddest part of it is BrianAdams cuts like a knife is going
to be there.
He's speaking like two hoursafter me and I have to get on a
plane and fly to Chicago.
I'm so bummed but it's a crazyweek.
But this is why I had to makeBill Belichick the topic again,
because this statement just cameout.
Then I posted something toTikTok.
(08:45):
Then his literary agent postedsomething online as well.
It's incredible and it's thesame tact that the statement
from UNC is.
And here's the message in sumCBS broke the terms, the
interview was off topic.
Jordan stepped in to keep itfocused on the book and she was
doing her job.
Quote I agreed to speak withCBS Sunday morning to promote my
(09:12):
new book, the Art of WinningLessons from my Life in Football
.
Okay, pause for a moment.
He put the book in the firstline.
This also tells me there is noway Bill Belichick wrote this
statement.
There's no way Jordan Hudsonwrote this statement either.
This came from someone,probably at UNC, who's very
skilled in writing and alsosomeone that probably hates
(09:33):
their job at the moment.
All right, going on.
Prior to this interview, Iclearly communicated with my
publicist at Simon Schuster thatany promotional interviews I
participated in would agree tofocus solely on the contents of
the book.
I just can't imagine that beinga structured agreement in a
(09:53):
contract.
It may have been discussed andthe language could have been to
CBS and the producer.
We want to focus on this bookand they say sure it is, because
most of the interview isfocused on the book and
Belichick's history, about hisfather and how he got into
coaching most of the interview.
But all he did, tony DiCupo isask one question and it was the
(10:16):
question that everyone wasasking what's up with the
relationship?
All right, going back.
Unfortunately, that expectationwas not honored during the
interview.
I was surprised when unrelatedoh here, wait, that expectation.
See, it was just an expectation.
It wasn't anything more seriousthan that.
It's not like it was a writtencontract.
It was an expectation.
What reporters are expected toask certain questions?
(10:39):
I was surprised when unrelatedtopics were introduced.
Really, bill, you weresurprised that you were going to
be asked about how you metJordan Hudson, who is in the
back of the room very muchinvolved in the interview, my
goodness and I repeatedlyexpressed to the reporter, tony
DeCouple, and the producers thatI preferred to keep the
conversation centered on thebook.
Throwing reporters under thebus, producers never a good look
(11:06):
.
You're guaranteeing that thisis going to be a story.
Now, after this occurred severaltimes, jordan, with whom I
share both a personal andprofessional relationship,
stepped in to reiterate thatpoint to help refocus the
discussion.
She was not deflecting anyspecific question or topic.
Yes, she was, but simply doingher job to ensure the interview
stayed on track.
But that raises anotherquestion what job she's his
(11:28):
girlfriend?
Now, on LinkedIn, it says thatshe's the CEO of Belichick
Productions, but that's not evena CEO's job.
Okay, she's a handler's job.
Who are you, jordan?
Who are you Jordan?
Some of the clips make itappear as though we were
avoiding the question of how wemet, but we have been open about
(11:49):
the fact that Jordan and I meton a flight to Palm Beach in
2021.
Okay, no, everyone knows howthey met because she posted it
on social media.
Deflecting blaming it never,ever works, and some of the
clips make it appear it's not asif a producer mashed all the
(12:10):
clips together.
I hear that all the time fromclients and in my trainings.
Can't reporters go in and putand edit anything they want and
to put it out there?
Well, yeah, but it's not likeit's an AI bot version of Bill
Belichick.
He said those things.
That was a natural conversationthat we saw Going back.
The final eight-minute segmentdoes not reflect the productive
(12:31):
35-minute conversation.
You want to know what?
35 minutes is not a long time.
It's not the last interview Idid at ABC about Blake Lively
and Ryan Reynolds.
I sat in there for an hour, foran hour, and I was probably in
maybe four minutes of thesegment.
Eight minutes, that's eightminutes to 35.
Cbs producers are doing a goodjob, which covered a wide range
(12:53):
of topics related to my career.
Instead, it presentsselectively edited clips and
stills from just a few minutesof the interview to suggest a
false narrative that Jordan wasattempting to control the
conversation, which is simplynot true.
End quote People saw whatpeople saw and blaming the media
it's typical.
It happens all the time.
Now, it's not to give the pressa pass.
(13:15):
I understand it.
I've worked on the other side.
I've worked as a reporter, I'veworked as a stringer.
I was a contributor to Forbesup until recently, because hey,
why do I need to do it forForbes when I can just go to
Substack and write my own stuff?
But also, I'm with a reporter,someone who's an investigative
(13:36):
reporter.
We talk about this all the time.
Now this statement comes amid aslew of negative headlines
regarding his relationship,which began with this interview.
On Wednesday, the Athleticreported that Hudson was
instrumental in stopping HBOseries.
You know the series Hard Knocks.
They were going to focus on theTar Knocks.
They were going to focus on theTar Heels.
They were going to focus onBill Belichick.
(13:57):
This was going to be a hugecoup for him, but now that she's
the COO of BelichickProductions, which doesn't seem
to have any official businessrecords.
It was also previously reportedthat Belichick has asked at
least one UNC staffer to copyHudson on emails, despite her
not even being employed by theuniversity.
(14:17):
This isn't just about one momenton camera.
It is now a pattern.
The hard knocks deal, whichwould have been great for UNC
and great for Bill Belichick.
It fell apart, and allegedly,from the athletic.
It fell apart because ofHudson's involvement and demands
for control.
She's now very much a part ofhis public image and that's by
design and that was designed byJordan Hudson herself with Bill
(14:43):
Belichick in complete compliancewith it.
She does not have a definedrole, but she has maximum
presence.
And, jordan, she used to be asocial media ambassador for
Rebel Athletic and she's also ahenna tattoo artist, but now she
runs Belichick Productions.
It's not to knock someone who'sa henna tattoo artist or social
(15:06):
media ambassador, but she'sdiscipline and experience to
manage his reputation.
Jordan is trouble for the brandBelichick.
They want a date, fine date,50-year age difference, nearly
(15:28):
50 years fine, do that.
But you cannot expect that agedifference to not be a part of
the story.
It's impossible to contain andthat's where the main character,
energy, becomes a reputationalliability.
This is not about age, it'sabout boundaries.
Belichick is no longer soleauthor of his narrative and in a
space like college football,where your persona is part of
(15:50):
your recruitment pitch, thatmatters.
He also has his literary agencycoming out and defending him as
well.
Inc Management released astatement on the heels of the
Tar Heels statement.
I don't need to read the entirestatement because it's
identical to what UNC said, butthey're also pointing the
(16:11):
problem, not just to CBS Sundaymorning, but to you, anyone who
cares about the story or who'sfollowing the story, even
casually.
It's your fault and my fault.
Let me read part of thisstatement.
Earlier this month, bill satdown with CBS Sunday Morning to
discuss his book, his life infootball and his perspective on
how he has done his job which,by the way, that's exactly what
(16:33):
the story was about.
The nature and orientation ofthe discussion was known in
advance to Bill and to CBS, andindeed Bill did talk football,
and you know what?
Indeed, cbs aired that.
Indeed, cbs aired that.
But the segment that was shownto the public veered into a
discussion of Bill's personallife and away from the subject
of his book, resulting in a raftof hostile social media posts
about his personal life.
That's not CBS's fault.
(16:53):
That is not Tony DiCupo's fault.
That is Bill Belichick andJordan's fault.
Jordan Hudson created this forBill Belichick.
Bill has written anauthoritative and entertaining
book about success that shouldbe judged by its contents, not
by the clicks generated by thesegment.
Again, blaming the internet andblaming you.
(17:16):
Bill Belichick didn't losecontrol overnight.
He handed it off and now thestory's writing itself.
If you want to build a brandthat lasts know who's holding
the mic, even off camera, I'mMolly McPherson, and this was
the PR Breakdown.
(17:37):
Bye for now.
Jordan was a constant presence during our
interview.
It's a topic neither one ofthem is comfortable commenting
on.
That's WBZ's take on BillBelichick's car crash interview.
You all know the story If youlisten to this podcast.
You know the story Because lastweek I discussed briefly Bill
Belichick's interview with CBSabout his book.
(00:25):
Did you all know he had a bookcoming out?
No, you probably still don'tknow, but this is what it's
about Now.
Wbz is an affiliate of CBS andthey're the ones who did the
interview with Tony DiCubo.
He sat down with Bill Belichickand, of course, jordan Hudson.
Bill Belichick's 24-year-oldgirlfriend was in the background
, but very much in control.
This week's episode it's aboutcontrol or, more accurately, the
(00:51):
loss of it.
Bill Belichick built alegendary coaching career on
staying two steps ahead of hisplayers, of the press, of anyone
trying to pin him down.
But now the man who gave us ison to something else entirely
Awkward interviews, botchedmedia deals and a girlfriend
(01:11):
who's stealing the spotlight andrerouting his reputation.
So today's episode is aboutBill Belichick's girlfriend and
her main character, energy,because, honestly, it is
breaking his brand.
Hey there, welcome back to thepodcast.
I'm your host, molly McPherson,and we have a PR breakdown this
(01:33):
week.
I have to be honest, I'mrecording this only hours after
I released the episode from lastweek.
All about Bill Belichick.
I also talked about Blake andRyan and, of course, another
sports story that seems so farin the past now, but Bill
Belichick is breaking all the PRrules for getting out of a PR
(01:55):
mess.
This is now a story that hasbeen extended in the news cycle.
Why, because of the choicesthat he's making this week, no
one is talking about BillBelichick's football strategy.
Everyone's talking about hisreputation, and I'm talking
about his reputational strategyand why Belichick, one of the
(02:15):
most disciplined, controlled andsuccessful coaches in NFL
history, is suddenly in the kindof media storm he spent decades
avoiding.
Now, as I mentioned, thenow-viral CBS Morning interview
with Tony DiCupo, he sat downwith Bill Belichick and asked
the question that really anyinterviewer would ask.
(02:38):
Cbs is having quite a run.
We have Gayle King who honestly, I wonder if she did this
interview.
I bet maybe she wouldn't askthe question.
I'm just saying I think TonyDiCupo is trying to make waves
there as a journalist, but alsothe executive producer of 60
(02:59):
Minutes stepped down.
He was basically shown the doorbecause CBS is in the middle of
trying to be acquired byParamount.
So there's a lot more at stakehere.
I don't know what CBS thinks ofthis interview.
They're getting a lot ofchatter, so it's probably a good
thing, but anything that getsin the way of this potential
(03:19):
merger becomes a problem.
But the bigger problem is forBill Belichick.
He's been out there trying topromote his new book, the Art of
Winning Lessons from my Life inFootball.
Try to remember that name,because you'll immediately
forget it, because no one'sgoing to remember the title of
this book.
All they're going to rememberis the publicity tour in the
run-up to publishing the book.
(03:41):
And I'm so sorry to keeplaughing, but this really is
funny to me.
I just posted on TikTok thatthis is my Super Bowl.
I don't take glee in people'sdownfalls, but I like
identifying problems that I seein my work as a crisis
management strategist and seeingit on full display.
(04:01):
And when it happens, in storiesthat everyone happens to be
talking about, well, better yet,because now more people can
learn the lesson.
So, after Belichick left thePatriots after 24 seasons and
six Super Bowl wins, all viewedin my living room, if you
haven't heard me say it before,we're a New England family.
My goodness, my kids.
They grew up with the mosticonic Boston sports teams out
(04:25):
there, and Bill Belichick withTom Brady were a big part of
that conversation.
But he's now the head coach atUNC, stepping into a college
program for the first time inhis career.
But this book is not what peopleare talking about.
They're talking about his24-year-old girlfriend, jordan
Hudson.
She interrupted the CBS.
(04:46):
Well, I don't even need to tellyou.
Take a listen, you have Jordanright over there.
Everybody in the world seems tobe following this relationship.
They've got an opinion aboutyour private life.
It's got nothing to do withthem, but they're invested in it
.
How do you deal with that?
Never been too worried aboutwhat everybody else thinks.
Just try to do what I feel likeis best for me and what's right
(05:08):
.
How did you guys meet, nottalking about this?
No surprise, it went viral andit pulled the focus from the
book and getting the book outthere and setting him up to be a
keynote speaker, which I can'timagine him as a keynote speaker
.
I don't know.
It'd be interesting to see him,but I don't see him captivating
a room quite like he's doingright now.
(05:29):
But the topic that was broughtup in the interview was how they
met, which, when you have arelationship when there's nearly
50 years between the man andthe woman, that's a talking
point and one he could easilylean into and then move off of.
But he didn't.
He's stumbling on it becauseJordan got in the way.
(05:50):
And here's why this isn't just amedia blip.
It is now a reputationalpattern and it's not going away.
And Bill Belichick isn't thefirst to do this.
Plenty of people and brands outthere have done this.
But let's break it down.
One Belichick built his brandon control.
That's who he is Short answers,zero emotion, tactical
(06:12):
precision, zero Fs, that's theappeal.
He doesn't need handlers, hedoesn't let anyone near the
narrative because he controlsthe narrative.
But now two, that control hasbeen outsourced.
So, according to multiplereports, jordan Hudson not only
interrupted the CBS interview,she reportedly delayed
(06:34):
production, stormed off set andis copied on UNC coaching emails
.
This is not a private life,this is her influence in the
operations of Bill Belichick,and three main character energy
doesn't play at UNC, it reallydoesn't play in college football
(06:56):
.
The athletes they're the oneswith the contracts, they're the
ones trying to make it into theNFL.
Coaches can be the narrative.
Coaches can be the narrative.
Coaches can be a part of theplot.
Certainly, bill Belichick isgoing to be the fact that he
went from the NFL.
He and Robert Kraft had adisagreement.
In the interview Belichick saidit was a mutual decision, but
(07:18):
Robert Kraft he very much issaying that Bill Belichick was
fired.
But this was going to be aunique era at UNC.
They were going to get a lot ofeyeballs, a lot of interest,
sell a lot of tickets.
There's going to be a lot ofmoney and interest coming into
UNC, but now they're turninginto a laughingstock.
It's turning into realitytelevision.
It's no longer about the SECecosystem.
(07:41):
It's not about boosters andplayers and every recruit
watching wanting to get into theprogram and instead of
leadership they're just seeingconfusion and blurred lines and
a coach who looks like he'sbeing managed by a girl who
could have come out of UNC twoyears earlier but she didn't.
She went to Bridgewater Stateen masse.
(08:01):
But the response after thebacklash from this interview,
which I'm going to tell you, Inoticed it right away.
These things don't get by me.
Not that long ago, belichickissued a formal statement
through UNC.
So I'm recording this episodelast Wednesday, I'm traveling
this weekend and also thefollowing week, I have speaking
of college.
I'm going to my daughter'scollege graduation and then on
(08:23):
Monday I'm speaking in Torontogosh for a big event and the
saddest part of it is BrianAdams cuts like a knife is going
to be there.
He's speaking like two hoursafter me and I have to get on a
plane and fly to Chicago.
I'm so bummed but it's a crazyweek.
But this is why I had to makeBill Belichick the topic again,
because this statement just cameout.
Then I posted something toTikTok.
(08:45):
Then his literary agent postedsomething online as well.
It's incredible and it's thesame tact that the statement
from UNC is.
And here's the message in sumCBS broke the terms, the
interview was off topic.
Jordan stepped in to keep itfocused on the book and she was
doing her job.
Quote I agreed to speak withCBS Sunday morning to promote my
(09:12):
new book, the Art of WinningLessons from my Life in Football
.
Okay, pause for a moment.
He put the book in the firstline.
This also tells me there is noway Bill Belichick wrote this
statement.
There's no way Jordan Hudsonwrote this statement either.
This came from someone,probably at UNC, who's very
skilled in writing and alsosomeone that probably hates
(09:33):
their job at the moment.
All right, going on.
Prior to this interview, Iclearly communicated with my
publicist at Simon Schuster thatany promotional interviews I
participated in would agree tofocus solely on the contents of
the book.
I just can't imagine that beinga structured agreement in a
(09:53):
contract.
It may have been discussed andthe language could have been to
CBS and the producer.
We want to focus on this bookand they say sure it is, because
most of the interview isfocused on the book and
Belichick's history, about hisfather and how he got into
coaching most of the interview.
But all he did, tony DiCupo isask one question and it was the
(10:16):
question that everyone wasasking what's up with the
relationship?
All right, going back.
Unfortunately, that expectationwas not honored during the
interview.
I was surprised when unrelatedoh here, wait, that expectation.
See, it was just an expectation.
It wasn't anything more seriousthan that.
It's not like it was a writtencontract.
It was an expectation.
What reporters are expected toask certain questions?
(10:39):
I was surprised when unrelatedtopics were introduced.
Really, bill, you weresurprised that you were going to
be asked about how you metJordan Hudson, who is in the
back of the room very muchinvolved in the interview, my
goodness and I repeatedlyexpressed to the reporter, tony
DeCouple, and the producers thatI preferred to keep the
conversation centered on thebook.
Throwing reporters under thebus, producers never a good look
(11:06):
.
You're guaranteeing that thisis going to be a story.
Now, after this occurred severaltimes, jordan, with whom I
share both a personal andprofessional relationship,
stepped in to reiterate thatpoint to help refocus the
discussion.
She was not deflecting anyspecific question or topic.
Yes, she was, but simply doingher job to ensure the interview
stayed on track.
But that raises anotherquestion what job she's his
(11:28):
girlfriend?
Now, on LinkedIn, it says thatshe's the CEO of Belichick
Productions, but that's not evena CEO's job.
Okay, she's a handler's job.
Who are you, jordan?
Who are you Jordan?
Some of the clips make itappear as though we were
avoiding the question of how wemet, but we have been open about
(11:49):
the fact that Jordan and I meton a flight to Palm Beach in
2021.
Okay, no, everyone knows howthey met because she posted it
on social media.
Deflecting blaming it never,ever works, and some of the
clips make it appear it's not asif a producer mashed all the
(12:10):
clips together.
I hear that all the time fromclients and in my trainings.
Can't reporters go in and putand edit anything they want and
to put it out there?
Well, yeah, but it's not likeit's an AI bot version of Bill
Belichick.
He said those things.
That was a natural conversationthat we saw Going back.
The final eight-minute segmentdoes not reflect the productive
(12:31):
35-minute conversation.
You want to know what?
35 minutes is not a long time.
It's not the last interview Idid at ABC about Blake Lively
and Ryan Reynolds.
I sat in there for an hour, foran hour, and I was probably in
maybe four minutes of thesegment.
Eight minutes, that's eightminutes to 35.
Cbs producers are doing a goodjob, which covered a wide range
(12:53):
of topics related to my career.
Instead, it presentsselectively edited clips and
stills from just a few minutesof the interview to suggest a
false narrative that Jordan wasattempting to control the
conversation, which is simplynot true.
End quote People saw whatpeople saw and blaming the media
it's typical.
It happens all the time.
Now, it's not to give the pressa pass.
(13:15):
I understand it.
I've worked on the other side.
I've worked as a reporter, I'veworked as a stringer.
I was a contributor to Forbesup until recently, because hey,
why do I need to do it forForbes when I can just go to
Substack and write my own stuff?
But also, I'm with a reporter,someone who's an investigative
(13:36):
reporter.
We talk about this all the time.
Now this statement comes amid aslew of negative headlines
regarding his relationship,which began with this interview.
On Wednesday, the Athleticreported that Hudson was
instrumental in stopping HBOseries.
You know the series Hard Knocks.
They were going to focus on theTar Knocks.
They were going to focus on theTar Heels.
They were going to focus onBill Belichick.
(13:57):
This was going to be a hugecoup for him, but now that she's
the COO of BelichickProductions, which doesn't seem
to have any official businessrecords.
It was also previously reportedthat Belichick has asked at
least one UNC staffer to copyHudson on emails, despite her
not even being employed by theuniversity.
(14:17):
This isn't just about one momenton camera.
It is now a pattern.
The hard knocks deal, whichwould have been great for UNC
and great for Bill Belichick.
It fell apart, and allegedly,from the athletic.
It fell apart because ofHudson's involvement and demands
for control.
She's now very much a part ofhis public image and that's by
design and that was designed byJordan Hudson herself with Bill
(14:43):
Belichick in complete compliancewith it.
She does not have a definedrole, but she has maximum
presence.
And, jordan, she used to be asocial media ambassador for
Rebel Athletic and she's also ahenna tattoo artist, but now she
runs Belichick Productions.
It's not to knock someone who'sa henna tattoo artist or social
(15:06):
media ambassador, but she'sdiscipline and experience to
manage his reputation.
Jordan is trouble for the brandBelichick.
They want a date, fine date,50-year age difference, nearly
(15:28):
50 years fine, do that.
But you cannot expect that agedifference to not be a part of
the story.
It's impossible to contain andthat's where the main character,
energy, becomes a reputationalliability.
This is not about age, it'sabout boundaries.
Belichick is no longer soleauthor of his narrative and in a
space like college football,where your persona is part of
(15:50):
your recruitment pitch, thatmatters.
He also has his literary agencycoming out and defending him as
well.
Inc Management released astatement on the heels of the
Tar Heels statement.
I don't need to read the entirestatement because it's
identical to what UNC said, butthey're also pointing the
(16:11):
problem, not just to CBS Sundaymorning, but to you, anyone who
cares about the story or who'sfollowing the story, even
casually.
It's your fault and my fault.
Let me read part of thisstatement.
Earlier this month, bill satdown with CBS Sunday Morning to
discuss his book, his life infootball and his perspective on
how he has done his job which,by the way, that's exactly what
(16:33):
the story was about.
The nature and orientation ofthe discussion was known in
advance to Bill and to CBS, andindeed Bill did talk football,
and you know what?
Indeed, cbs aired that.
Indeed, cbs aired that.
But the segment that was shownto the public veered into a
discussion of Bill's personallife and away from the subject
of his book, resulting in a raftof hostile social media posts
about his personal life.
That's not CBS's fault.
(16:53):
That is not Tony DiCupo's fault.
That is Bill Belichick andJordan's fault.
Jordan Hudson created this forBill Belichick.
Bill has written anauthoritative and entertaining
book about success that shouldbe judged by its contents, not
by the clicks generated by thesegment.
Again, blaming the internet andblaming you.
(17:16):
Bill Belichick didn't losecontrol overnight.
He handed it off and now thestory's writing itself.
If you want to build a brandthat lasts know who's holding
the mic, even off camera, I'mMolly McPherson, and this was
the PR Breakdown.
(17:37):
Bye for now.
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