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Bill Belichick’s life has taken some unexpected turns lately – from ending his legendary Patriots career to starting fresh as North Carolina’s football coach. In a surprisingly candid interview with Tony Dokoupil on “CBS News Sunday Morning,” Belichick opened up about his coaching journey, Tom Brady, and more while promoting his new book, “The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football.”
The typically media-shy coach seemed relaxed during the conversation, sporting a worn Navy sweatshirt instead of Tar Heels gear. His 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson sat nearby throughout the interview – a relationship that’s raised eyebrows but doesn’t seem to bother the 73-year-old coaching legend.
Here’s what stood out from Belichick’s rare sit-down:
Hudson’s Protective Presence
Belichick and Hudson have been dating for over two years. She’s active on social media where she’s shared photos of their relationship, including recent birthday celebrations and some playful costume pics (him as a fisherman, her as a mermaid).
In his book, Belichick calls Hudson his “creative muse.” She’s also professionally involved with him, using “Chief Operating Officer of Belichick Productions” in her email signature.
When Dokoupil asked about how they met, Hudson quickly jumped in: “We are not talking about this.”
Their significant age gap has drawn criticism, but Belichick shrugged it off with characteristic indifference to outside opinions.
“I’ve never been too worried about what everybody else thinks,” he said. “I just try to do what I feel like is best for me and what’s right.”
The Kraft Omission
Despite spending 24 years with the Patriots and winning six Super Bowls under Robert Kraft’s ownership, Belichick didn’t mention him once in his new book – not even in the acknowledgments.
When asked about this glaring omission, Belichick deflected: “It’s about my life lessons and football, and it’s really more about the ones that I’ve experienced directly.”
The coach was equally evasive when Dokoupil pressed about whether Kraft treated him with dignity during their 2023 split. Belichick called it “a mutual decision” – contradicting Kraft’s public statement that he fired the coach.
Following (Against) His Father’s Footsteps
Belichick’s Navy sweatshirt wasn’t coincidental. His father, Steve, served as an assistant coach at the Naval Academy for over 30 years.
As an only child, young Bill spent countless hours around his dad and the team. Surprisingly, his father tried steering him away from coaching.
“You are never going to make any money coaching. You need to go to business school, you need to get a job,” Belichick recalled his father saying.
He doesn’t harbor any resentment for this discouragement, explaining his dad was “just being real” about the profession’s challenges.
The Brady Decision
The Belichick-Brady partnership revolutionized the NFL, but it almost never happened. When Belichick selected Brady 199th overall in the 2000 draft, few imagined the skinny quarterback would become arguably the greatest player ever.
What did Belichick see that others missed?
“Two things really: he was accurate and he was a very good decision maker,” Belichick explained. “He got better every single day.”
Media Relations Regrets
Throughout his NFL career, Belichick became infamous for his terse, sometimes combative press conferences. His clipped responses and impatient demeanor made him a challenging interview subject.
Looking back, he admits he could’ve handled those interactions differently.
“I understand they have a tough job,” Belichick acknowledged about reporters. “On the other side, as a coach, you have a job to do, too. There are times when I could have been more accommodating. I admit that.”
He added a characteristically Belichickian philosophy about moving forward: “You just gotta turn the page and more forward. As much as they want to dig deeper and deeper into the grave and see what more is down there, at some point you just gotta look ahead and move on.”
