May 7, 2025

Bill Belichick’s Girlfriend Has Main Character Energy and It’s Breaking His Brand

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...

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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00:00 - Bill Belichick's Viral CBS Interview Disaster

01:25 - Losing Control: Belichick's Reputation Unravels

05:23 - Jordan Hudson: The 24-Year-Old Taking Charge

08:57 - UNC Statement and Blame-Shifting Strategy

14:40 - The Real Problem: Brand Belichick Breakdown

WEBVTT

00:00:00.381 --> 00:00:03.411
Jordan was a constant presence during our interview.

00:00:03.411 --> 00:00:07.190
It's a topic neither one of them is comfortable commenting on.

00:00:07.190 --> 00:00:11.670
That's WBZ's take on Bill Belichick's car crash interview.

00:00:11.670 --> 00:00:15.169
You all know the story If you listen to this podcast.

00:00:15.169 --> 00:00:25.112
You know the story Because last week I discussed briefly Bill Belichick's interview with CBS about his book.

00:00:25.112 --> 00:00:26.614
Did you all know he had a book coming out?

00:00:26.614 --> 00:00:30.306
No, you probably still don't know, but this is what it's about Now.

00:00:30.306 --> 00:00:35.807
Wbz is an affiliate of CBS and they're the ones who did the interview with Tony DiCubo.

00:00:35.807 --> 00:00:39.603
He sat down with Bill Belichick and, of course, jordan Hudson.

00:00:39.683 --> 00:00:45.014
Bill Belichick's 24-year-old girlfriend was in the background, but very much in control.

00:00:45.014 --> 00:00:51.932
This week's episode it's about control or, more accurately, the loss of it.

00:00:51.932 --> 00:01:01.210
Bill Belichick built a legendary coaching career on staying two steps ahead of his players, of the press, of anyone trying to pin him down.

00:01:01.210 --> 00:01:15.923
But now the man who gave us is on to something else entirely Awkward interviews, botched media deals and a girlfriend who's stealing the spotlight and rerouting his reputation.

00:01:15.923 --> 00:01:25.652
So today's episode is about Bill Belichick's girlfriend and her main character, energy, because, honestly, it is breaking his brand.

00:01:25.652 --> 00:01:28.006
Hey there, welcome back to the podcast.

00:01:28.006 --> 00:01:33.563
I'm your host, molly McPherson, and we have a PR breakdown this week.

00:01:33.563 --> 00:01:39.942
I have to be honest, I'm recording this only hours after I released the episode from last week.

00:01:39.942 --> 00:01:41.787
All about Bill Belichick.

00:01:41.787 --> 00:01:55.444
I also talked about Blake and Ryan and, of course, another sports story that seems so far in the past now, but Bill Belichick is breaking all the PR rules for getting out of a PR mess.

00:01:55.444 --> 00:01:59.712
This is now a story that has been extended in the news cycle.

00:01:59.712 --> 00:02:08.183
Why, because of the choices that he's making this week, no one is talking about Bill Belichick's football strategy.

00:02:08.183 --> 00:02:25.493
Everyone's talking about his reputation, and I'm talking about his reputational strategy and why Belichick, one of the most disciplined, controlled and successful coaches in NFL history, is suddenly in the kind of media storm he spent decades avoiding.

00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:38.074
Now, as I mentioned, the now-viral CBS Morning interview with Tony DiCupo, he sat down with Bill Belichick and asked the question that really any interviewer would ask.

00:02:38.074 --> 00:02:40.707
Cbs is having quite a run.

00:02:40.707 --> 00:02:44.931
We have Gayle King who honestly, I wonder if she did this interview.

00:02:44.931 --> 00:02:47.842
I bet maybe she wouldn't ask the question.

00:02:47.842 --> 00:03:00.049
I'm just saying I think Tony DiCupo is trying to make waves there as a journalist, but also the executive producer of 60 Minutes stepped down.

00:03:00.049 --> 00:03:07.125
He was basically shown the door because CBS is in the middle of trying to be acquired by Paramount.

00:03:07.125 --> 00:03:09.108
So there's a lot more at stake here.

00:03:09.108 --> 00:03:11.889
I don't know what CBS thinks of this interview.

00:03:11.889 --> 00:03:22.112
They're getting a lot of chatter, so it's probably a good thing, but anything that gets in the way of this potential merger becomes a problem.

00:03:22.762 --> 00:03:25.432
But the bigger problem is for Bill Belichick.

00:03:25.432 --> 00:03:31.069
He's been out there trying to promote his new book, the Art of Winning Lessons from my Life in Football.

00:03:31.069 --> 00:03:35.991
Try to remember that name, because you'll immediately forget it, because no one's going to remember the title of this book.

00:03:35.991 --> 00:03:41.812
All they're going to remember is the publicity tour in the run-up to publishing the book.

00:03:41.812 --> 00:03:44.997
And I'm so sorry to keep laughing, but this really is funny to me.

00:03:44.997 --> 00:03:48.025
I just posted on TikTok that this is my Super Bowl.

00:03:48.025 --> 00:04:01.941
I don't take glee in people's downfalls, but I like identifying problems that I see in my work as a crisis management strategist and seeing it on full display.

00:04:01.941 --> 00:04:09.033
And when it happens, in stories that everyone happens to be talking about, well, better yet, because now more people can learn the lesson.

00:04:09.033 --> 00:04:19.730
So, after Belichick left the Patriots after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl wins, all viewed in my living room, if you haven't heard me say it before, we're a New England family.

00:04:19.730 --> 00:04:21.721
My goodness, my kids.

00:04:21.721 --> 00:04:30.528
They grew up with the most iconic Boston sports teams out there, and Bill Belichick with Tom Brady were a big part of that conversation.

00:04:30.528 --> 00:04:36.848
But he's now the head coach at UNC, stepping into a college program for the first time in his career.

00:04:37.490 --> 00:04:39.961
But this book is not what people are talking about.

00:04:39.961 --> 00:04:44.052
They're talking about his 24-year-old girlfriend, jordan Hudson.

00:04:44.052 --> 00:04:46.466
She interrupted the CBS.

00:04:46.466 --> 00:04:48.286
Well, I don't even need to tell you.

00:04:48.286 --> 00:04:51.908
Take a listen, you have Jordan right over there.

00:04:51.908 --> 00:04:55.249
Everybody in the world seems to be following this relationship.

00:04:55.249 --> 00:04:57.262
They've got an opinion about your private life.

00:04:57.262 --> 00:04:59.603
It's got nothing to do with them, but they're invested in it.

00:04:59.603 --> 00:05:01.591
How do you deal with that?

00:05:01.591 --> 00:05:05.074
Never been too worried about what everybody else thinks.

00:05:05.074 --> 00:05:08.132
Just try to do what I feel like is best for me and what's right.

00:05:08.132 --> 00:05:11.228
How did you guys meet, not talking about this?

00:05:11.228 --> 00:05:23.720
No surprise, it went viral and it pulled the focus from the book and getting the book out there and setting him up to be a keynote speaker, which I can't imagine him as a keynote speaker.

00:05:23.720 --> 00:05:24.225
I don't know.

00:05:24.225 --> 00:05:29.516
It'd be interesting to see him, but I don't see him captivating a room quite like he's doing right now.

00:05:29.516 --> 00:05:44.295
But the topic that was brought up in the interview was how they met, which, when you have a relationship when there's nearly 50 years between the man and the woman, that's a talking point and one he could easily lean into and then move off of.

00:05:44.295 --> 00:05:45.718
But he didn't.

00:05:45.718 --> 00:05:50.232
He's stumbling on it because Jordan got in the way.

00:05:50.793 --> 00:05:52.759
And here's why this isn't just a media blip.

00:05:52.759 --> 00:05:57.250
It is now a reputational pattern and it's not going away.

00:05:57.250 --> 00:05:59.615
And Bill Belichick isn't the first to do this.

00:05:59.615 --> 00:06:02.267
Plenty of people and brands out there have done this.

00:06:02.267 --> 00:06:03.271
But let's break it down.

00:06:03.271 --> 00:06:06.867
One Belichick built his brand on control.

00:06:06.867 --> 00:06:16.387
That's who he is Short answers, zero emotion, tactical precision, zero Fs, that's the appeal.

00:06:16.387 --> 00:06:22.807
He doesn't need handlers, he doesn't let anyone near the narrative because he controls the narrative.

00:06:22.807 --> 00:06:27.899
But now two, that control has been outsourced.

00:06:28.685 --> 00:06:38.898
So, according to multiple reports, jordan Hudson not only interrupted the CBS interview, she reportedly delayed production, stormed off set and is copied on UNC coaching emails.

00:06:38.898 --> 00:06:56.538
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 really doesn't play in college football.

00:06:56.538 --> 00:07:02.858
The athletes they're the ones with the contracts, they're the ones trying to make it into the NFL.

00:07:02.858 --> 00:07:05.086
Coaches can be the narrative.

00:07:05.086 --> 00:07:05.767
Coaches can be the narrative.

00:07:05.767 --> 00:07:07.449
Coaches can be a part of the plot.

00:07:07.449 --> 00:07:11.394
Certainly, bill Belichick is going to be the fact that he went from the NFL.

00:07:11.394 --> 00:07:14.939
He and Robert Kraft had a disagreement.

00:07:14.939 --> 00:07:21.576
In the interview Belichick said it was a mutual decision, but Robert Kraft he very much is saying that Bill Belichick was fired.

00:07:21.985 --> 00:07:25.214
But this was going to be a unique era at UNC.

00:07:25.214 --> 00:07:28.572
They were going to get a lot of eyeballs, a lot of interest, sell a lot of tickets.

00:07:28.572 --> 00:07:35.120
There's going to be a lot of money and interest coming into UNC, but now they're turning into a laughingstock.

00:07:35.120 --> 00:07:37.545
It's turning into reality television.

00:07:37.545 --> 00:07:41.454
It's no longer about the SEC ecosystem.

00:07:41.454 --> 00:07:59.346
It's not about boosters and players and every recruit watching wanting to get into the program and instead of leadership they're just seeing confusion and blurred lines and a coach who looks like he's being managed by a girl who could have come out of UNC two years earlier but she didn't.

00:07:59.346 --> 00:08:01.050
She went to Bridgewater State en masse.

00:08:01.911 --> 00:08:08.089
But the response after the backlash from this interview, which I'm going to tell you, I noticed it right away.

00:08:08.089 --> 00:08:09.375
These things don't get by me.

00:08:09.375 --> 00:08:12.928
Not that long ago, belichick issued a formal statement through UNC.

00:08:12.928 --> 00:08:21.439
So I'm recording this episode last Wednesday, I'm traveling this weekend and also the following week, I have speaking of college.

00:08:21.439 --> 00:08:31.769
I'm going to my daughter's college graduation and then on Monday I'm speaking in Toronto gosh for a big event and the saddest part of it is Brian Adams cuts like a knife is going to be there.

00:08:31.769 --> 00:08:35.447
He's speaking like two hours after me and I have to get on a plane and fly to Chicago.

00:08:35.447 --> 00:08:37.753
I'm so bummed but it's a crazy week.

00:08:37.893 --> 00:08:43.173
But this is why I had to make Bill Belichick the topic again, because this statement just came out.

00:08:43.173 --> 00:08:45.136
Then I posted something to TikTok.

00:08:45.136 --> 00:08:54.171
Then his literary agent posted something online as well.

00:08:54.171 --> 00:08:56.398
It's incredible and it's the same tact that the statement from UNC is.

00:08:56.398 --> 00:08:59.626
And here's the message in sum CBS broke the terms, the interview was off topic.

00:08:59.626 --> 00:09:04.398
Jordan stepped in to keep it focused on the book and she was doing her job.

00:09:04.398 --> 00:09:16.544
Quote I agreed to speak with CBS Sunday morning to promote my new book, the Art of Winning Lessons from my Life in Football.

00:09:16.544 --> 00:09:18.048
Okay, pause for a moment.

00:09:18.048 --> 00:09:20.052
He put the book in the first line.

00:09:20.052 --> 00:09:23.533
This also tells me there is no way Bill Belichick wrote this statement.

00:09:23.533 --> 00:09:26.144
There's no way Jordan Hudson wrote this statement either.

00:09:26.144 --> 00:09:34.269
This came from someone, probably at UNC, who's very skilled in writing and also someone that probably hates their job at the moment.

00:09:34.269 --> 00:09:35.461
All right, going on.

00:09:35.783 --> 00:09:45.301
Prior to this interview, I clearly communicated with my publicist at Simon Schuster that any promotional interviews I participated in would agree to focus solely on the contents of the book.

00:09:45.301 --> 00:09:54.511
I just can't imagine that being a structured agreement in a contract.

00:09:54.511 --> 00:09:59.763
It may have been discussed and the language could have been to CBS and the producer.

00:09:59.763 --> 00:10:11.884
We want to focus on this book and they say sure it is, because most of the interview is focused on the book and Belichick's history, about his father and how he got into coaching most of the interview.

00:10:11.884 --> 00:10:20.009
But all he did, tony DiCupo is ask one question and it was the question that everyone was asking what's up with the relationship?

00:10:20.009 --> 00:10:21.432
All right, going back.

00:10:21.960 --> 00:10:25.408
Unfortunately, that expectation was not honored during the interview.

00:10:25.408 --> 00:10:29.711
I was surprised when unrelated oh here, wait, that expectation.

00:10:29.711 --> 00:10:31.196
See, it was just an expectation.

00:10:31.196 --> 00:10:33.201
It wasn't anything more serious than that.

00:10:33.201 --> 00:10:34.701
It's not like it was a written contract.

00:10:34.701 --> 00:10:35.601
It was an expectation.

00:10:35.601 --> 00:10:39.565
What reporters are expected to ask certain questions?

00:10:39.565 --> 00:10:42.687
I was surprised when unrelated topics were introduced.

00:10:42.687 --> 00:10:59.258
Really, bill, you were surprised that you were going to be asked about how you met Jordan Hudson, who is in the back of the room very much involved in the interview, my goodness and I repeatedly expressed to the reporter, tony DeCouple, and the producers that I preferred to keep the conversation centered on the book.

00:10:59.258 --> 00:11:06.206
Throwing reporters under the bus, producers never a good look.

00:11:06.206 --> 00:11:07.269
You're guaranteeing that this is going to be a story.

00:11:07.291 --> 00:11:15.601
Now, after this occurred several times, jordan, with whom I share both a personal and professional relationship, stepped in to reiterate that point to help refocus the discussion.

00:11:15.601 --> 00:11:18.611
She was not deflecting any specific question or topic.

00:11:18.611 --> 00:11:23.225
Yes, she was, but simply doing her job to ensure the interview stayed on track.

00:11:23.225 --> 00:11:29.462
But that raises another question what job she's his girlfriend?

00:11:29.462 --> 00:11:39.355
Now, on LinkedIn, it says that she's the CEO of Belichick Productions, but that's not even a CEO's job.

00:11:39.355 --> 00:11:40.825
Okay, she's a handler's job.

00:11:40.825 --> 00:11:42.068
Who are you, jordan?

00:11:42.068 --> 00:11:44.066
Who are you Jordan?

00:11:44.066 --> 00:11:52.910
Some of the clips make it appear as though we were avoiding the question of how we met, but we have been open about the fact that Jordan and I met on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021.

00:11:52.910 --> 00:11:59.566
Okay, no, everyone knows how they met because she posted it on social media.

00:11:59.907 --> 00:12:10.720
Deflecting blaming it never, ever works, and some of the clips make it appear it's not as if a producer mashed all the clips together.

00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:13.364
I hear that all the time from clients and in my trainings.

00:12:13.364 --> 00:12:18.673
Can't reporters go in and put and edit anything they want and to put it out there?

00:12:18.673 --> 00:12:23.589
Well, yeah, but it's not like it's an AI bot version of Bill Belichick.

00:12:23.589 --> 00:12:24.691
He said those things.

00:12:24.691 --> 00:12:28.567
That was a natural conversation that we saw Going back.

00:12:28.628 --> 00:12:32.402
The final eight-minute segment does not reflect the productive 35-minute conversation.

00:12:32.402 --> 00:12:33.124
You want to know what?

00:12:33.124 --> 00:12:35.748
35 minutes is not a long time.

00:12:35.748 --> 00:12:40.455
It's not the last interview I did at ABC about Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.

00:12:40.455 --> 00:12:46.754
I sat in there for an hour, for an hour, and I was probably in maybe four minutes of the segment.

00:12:46.754 --> 00:12:50.246
Eight minutes, that's eight minutes to 35.

00:12:50.246 --> 00:12:55.341
Cbs producers are doing a good job, which covered a wide range of topics related to my career.

00:12:55.341 --> 00:13:06.201
Instead, it presents selectively edited clips and stills from just a few minutes of the interview to suggest a false narrative that Jordan was attempting to control the conversation, which is simply not true.

00:13:06.201 --> 00:13:11.961
End quote People saw what people saw and blaming the media it's typical.

00:13:12.101 --> 00:13:13.245
It happens all the time.

00:13:13.245 --> 00:13:15.672
Now, it's not to give the press a pass.

00:13:15.672 --> 00:13:17.284
I understand it.

00:13:17.284 --> 00:13:19.966
I've worked on the other side.

00:13:19.966 --> 00:13:22.091
I've worked as a reporter, I've worked as a stringer.

00:13:22.091 --> 00:13:31.249
I was a contributor to Forbes up until recently, because hey, why do I need to do it for Forbes when I can just go to Substack and write my own stuff?

00:13:31.249 --> 00:13:37.042
But also, I'm with a reporter, someone who's an investigative reporter.

00:13:37.042 --> 00:13:38.126
We talk about this all the time.

00:13:38.126 --> 00:13:45.229
Now this statement comes amid a slew of negative headlines regarding his relationship, which began with this interview.

00:13:45.970 --> 00:13:52.572
On Wednesday, the Athletic reported that Hudson was instrumental in stopping HBO series.

00:13:52.572 --> 00:13:53.254
You know the series Hard Knocks.

00:13:53.254 --> 00:13:54.357
They were going to focus on the Tar Knocks.

00:13:54.357 --> 00:13:55.922
They were going to focus on the Tar Heels.

00:13:55.922 --> 00:13:57.745
They were going to focus on Bill Belichick.

00:13:57.745 --> 00:14:07.363
This was going to be a huge coup for him, but now that she's the COO of Belichick Productions, which doesn't seem to have any official business records.

00:14:07.363 --> 00:14:17.224
It was also previously reported that Belichick has asked at least one UNC staffer to copy Hudson on emails, despite her not even being employed by the university.

00:14:17.945 --> 00:14:20.630
This isn't just about one moment on camera.

00:14:20.630 --> 00:14:22.153
It is now a pattern.

00:14:22.153 --> 00:14:26.610
The hard knocks deal, which would have been great for UNC and great for Bill Belichick.

00:14:26.610 --> 00:14:30.293
It fell apart, and allegedly, from the athletic.

00:14:30.293 --> 00:14:33.604
It fell apart because of Hudson's involvement and demands for control.

00:14:33.604 --> 00:14:45.749
She's now very much a part of his public image and that's by design and that was designed by Jordan Hudson herself with Bill Belichick in complete compliance with it.

00:14:45.749 --> 00:14:50.884
She does not have a defined role, but she has maximum presence.

00:14:50.884 --> 00:15:01.350
And, jordan, she used to be a social media ambassador for Rebel Athletic and she's also a henna tattoo artist, but now she runs Belichick Productions.

00:15:01.350 --> 00:15:10.203
It's not to knock someone who's a henna tattoo artist or social media ambassador, but she's discipline and experience to manage his reputation.

00:15:21.471 --> 00:15:23.916
Jordan is trouble for the brand Belichick.

00:15:23.916 --> 00:15:29.553
They want a date, fine date, 50-year age difference, nearly 50 years fine, do that.

00:15:29.553 --> 00:15:34.711
But you cannot expect that age difference to not be a part of the story.

00:15:34.711 --> 00:15:40.693
It's impossible to contain and that's where the main character, energy, becomes a reputational liability.

00:15:40.693 --> 00:15:43.524
This is not about age, it's about boundaries.

00:15:43.524 --> 00:15:52.974
Belichick is no longer sole author of his narrative and in a space like college football, where your persona is part of your recruitment pitch, that matters.

00:15:52.974 --> 00:15:58.104
He also has his literary agency coming out and defending him as well.

00:15:59.029 --> 00:16:03.201
Inc Management released a statement on the heels of the Tar Heels statement.

00:16:03.201 --> 00:16:20.863
I don't need to read the entire statement because it's identical to what UNC said, but they're also pointing the problem, not just to CBS Sunday morning, but to you, anyone who cares about the story or who's following the story, even casually.

00:16:20.863 --> 00:16:23.212
It's your fault and my fault.

00:16:23.212 --> 00:16:24.835
Let me read part of this statement.

00:16:25.677 --> 00:16:34.018
Earlier this month, bill sat down with CBS Sunday Morning to discuss his book, his life in football and his perspective on how he has done his job which, by the way, that's exactly what the story was about.

00:16:34.018 --> 00:16:41.019
The nature and orientation of the discussion was known in advance to Bill and to CBS, and indeed Bill did talk football, and you know what?

00:16:41.019 --> 00:16:42.777
Indeed, cbs aired that.

00:16:42.777 --> 00:16:46.793
Indeed, cbs aired that.

00:16:46.793 --> 00:16:52.173
But the segment that was shown to the public veered into a discussion of Bill's personal life and away from the subject of his book, resulting in a raft of hostile social media posts about his personal life.

00:16:52.453 --> 00:16:53.697
That's not CBS's fault.

00:16:53.697 --> 00:16:57.224
That is not Tony DiCupo's fault.

00:16:57.224 --> 00:16:59.815
That is Bill Belichick and Jordan's fault.

00:16:59.815 --> 00:17:02.802
Jordan Hudson created this for Bill Belichick.

00:17:02.802 --> 00:17:10.990
Bill has written an authoritative and entertaining book about success that should be judged by its contents, not by the clicks generated by the segment.

00:17:10.990 --> 00:17:16.420
Again, blaming the internet and blaming you.

00:17:16.420 --> 00:17:19.644
Bill Belichick didn't lose control overnight.

00:17:19.644 --> 00:17:24.498
He handed it off and now the story's writing itself.

00:17:24.498 --> 00:17:37.116
If you want to build a brand that lasts know who's holding the mic, even off camera, I'm Molly McPherson, and this was the PR Breakdown.

00:17:37.116 --> 00:17:38.358
Bye for now.

Bill Belichick’s Girlfriend Has Main Character Energy and It’s Breaking His Brand

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