Belichick calls reports of Hudson's role at UNC a flat-out lie

Bill Belichick, the North Carolina head coach, said reports that his 25-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, has a role in the football program are a flat-out lie, and that an email about his personal appearances was recast as evidence of her influence.

Belichick, 74, made the remarks to The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Sept. 16. It was the first time he had addressed the question since May 2025, CBS Sports reported, and it followed months of speculation driven by Hudson's presence on the Tar Heels sideline and by earlier reports that he asked for her to be copied on emails sent to him.

What the email actually asked

Belichick traced the confusion to his arrival in Chapel Hill in December 2024. He was doing five television shows and a radio show then, he told the Journal, and had a book on the way. The email he sent asked that requests about his personal appearances be forwarded to Hudson so he could coordinate them outside the university.

So, I sent an email when I got here and I said, 'Can you please forward any requests to Jordon about my personal appearances so that I can work and coordinate them outside the university?'

The email had nothing to do with the university, he said. It was leaked and then recast as a claim that Hudson was involved in everything he did and copied on every email, which he called a flat-out lie.

TMZ reported that the message at the center of the story asked UNC staff to copy Hudson on any email regarding "FB social media and web content." A North Carolina spokesperson confirmed to the Journal that Hudson does not have football responsibilities.

The general manager claim

Belichick rejected the idea that Hudson was seeking to run the football operation, saying the version of the story that circulated bore little resemblance to what the email asked.

What she handles, he said, is scheduling and other items he described as not North Carolina stuff. He did not describe any other duties. Hudson is listed on LinkedIn as the chief operating officer of Belichick Productions.

The way the story was picked up was a long way from that. Like, 'She's trying to be the general manager of the team,' and it's so ridiculous.

Scrutiny of Hudson's influence widened in April 2025, when she interrupted Belichick's CBS Sunday Morning interview with Tony Dokoupil. Asked how the two met, Hudson answered from off camera that they were not talking about that. Belichick later defended her, Heavy.com reported, saying she stepped in after the interview moved away from his book, "The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football."

A program under investigation

The University of North Carolina announced Thursday that its internal investigation into the culture and climate of the football program determined that certain actions demonstrated "a disregard for Carolina's values and standards of conduct," and that those actions were isolated in scope and not a systemic failure, WRAL reported. The same statement disclosed that defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, the head coach's son, is resigning.

I had full run of the facility and the people that I needed to do my work and I was able to do that thoroughly and I made my recommendations and findings available to my client

Steve Belichick has been on medical leave for more than a month, and the resignation takes effect Oct. 27, when that leave ends. The university has not publicly disclosed specifics about the leave, and it gave no explicit reason for his departure.

Huff, a former federal prosecutor and a partner at the law firm Barnes & Thornburg, led the inquiry. His team conducted about 60 interviews, including one with Bill Belichick, in work that began in late July with allegations from former employees. Investigators confirmed Thursday that they asked about allegations of drug use in the program but declined to give specifics, citing attorney-client privilege.

WRAL reported two weeks earlier that outside investigators had asked people close to the program whether Steve Belichick used drugs on the job or provided drugs to at least one player, citing multiple people familiar with the investigation. Jen Belichick, his wife, told ESPN that the family is proud of its influence on the program's direction and that there is misinformation and speculation about their own situation.

Michael Lombardi, the program's former general manager, was placed on administrative leave July 27 and resigned Sept. 3 during the university's investigation of a human resources complaint filed by a former employee, ESPN reported. He and Steve Belichick were the only two people who resigned while the inquiry ran, according to WRAL.

Records requests filed by Hudson

Hudson filed public records requests between December 2025 and June 2026 seeking copies of communications between university staff and members of the media about her relationship with Belichick, the Journal reported. Belichick said her requests sought material that had already been sent, and he would not speak for her about why she made them.

Hudson back on the sideline

Hudson attended her first UNC game of the season this month, when the Tar Heels hosted East Tennessee State in Chapel Hill. She wore the school's baby blue, carried a purse shaped like a football and was photographed talking with Belichick during pregame warmups, TMZ reported. She was a regular presence at games during his first season.

North Carolina is 2-0. The Tar Heels opened the season with a 15-10 win over Texas Christian University in Dublin on Aug. 29, and beat East Tennessee State 35-3 on Sept. 12. Belichick's first season in Chapel Hill finished 4-8, with two wins against ACC opponents.

The school did not host prospective recruits at the East Tennessee State game, TMZ reported, after North Carolina self-reported a recruiting violation.

Clemson, and unanswered questions

The Tar Heels play at Clemson on Saturday. A win would be their first at Clemson since 2001, CBS Sports reported. The Tigers are 1-1.

Belichick said he had spent many spring days at Clemson watching their players, scouting trips that long predate his move to the college game. Speaking this week, he praised Swinney for caring about the game and his players, and said he had been impressed by the players who have come out of the program.

Belichick addressed the internal investigation on Sept. 7, telling reporters that the program understood the importance of the investigative team's work and of the university's code of conduct, and that giving student-athletes the best treatment and coaching it could was critically important.

He has not said publicly who leaked the email about his personal appearances, and he did not describe any change to the arrangement he set out when he arrived.

Hudson declined an interview with The Wall Street Journal. UNC said its investigation is complete and that corrective actions are underway, overseen by Carolina Athletics and the Office of University Counsel, and that it will evaluate any credible new information that arises.