During a recent appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America promoting his new book, The Art of Winning, Bill Belichick’s most revealing moment had little to do with his legendary NFL coaching career or his current role leading the University of North Carolina’s football program.
Instead, attention centered on his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson.
Michael Strahan, former NFL star and show host, remarked, “There’s been a lot of talk about your relationship with Jordon Hudson. It’s attracted a lot of attention.”
He then paused to note, “She’s not here this morning.”
In the five months since UNC announced Belichick’s hiring as its new head football coach on a potentially $50 million five-year contract, Hudson has been consistently present—not trailing behind, but often beside or even ahead of him.
She attended the UNC press conference announcing Belichick’s appointment, joined him at the Super Bowl in New Orleans, and was seen courtside at UNC football and basketball games.
Hudson also appeared during a Belichick interview on CBS Sunday Morning, at one point signaling to the reporter that she would not answer questions about how they met.
Belichick has shown visible support for Hudson. At a recent Maine USA pageant where Hudson competed, Belichick watched intently as she performed in evening gown and swimsuit rounds.
Though he did not applaud openly, Belichick took her hand after the competition and drove her away in a Mercedes.
While Belichick is arguably the more famous figure in their relationship, the spotlight has shifted to Hudson, whose youth and bold social media presence have fueled public fascination.
She has managed the coach’s personal brand assertively, disrupting a planned HBO series and seeking to trademark some of Belichick’s well-known phrases. Her social media channels regularly showcase their romance.
Hudson’s networking has brought her into contact with celebrities and political causes, alongside building a real estate portfolio reportedly valued over $8 million—actions that have unsettled many of Belichick’s followers and inner circle, some viewing her as a distraction or worse.
Hudson has also reportedly told at least one individual that she and Belichick are engaged to be married.
In a time when global challenges dominate headlines, the relationship between a famously reserved NFL coach and a young university cheerleader offers pure entertainment for much of the public—and candid fodder for journalists.
Questions abound: Is Hudson motivated by financial gain? Are critics envious of an older man with a younger, attractive partner? Has Belichick strategically elevated her role as part of his ambitions? Or, as some have suggested, is this a case of elder exploitation?
Hudson’s family stance remains unclear, though her 49-year-old father was seen sitting beside her boyfriend at the pageant.
Belichick’s career has been built on discipline and avoiding the spotlight, which makes the current public drama especially striking within professional and collegiate sports communities.
As he seeks to revive his career following a difficult split from the Patriots, social media users, football fans, and the press are captivated by how he came to be so deeply involved with a woman nearly half his age.
Upton Bell, former Patriots general manager, remarked, “It’s ironic that a man who controlled everything—literally everything—is now being controlled by someone else.”
He added, “You can’t blame the woman and say, ‘She’s controlling.’ That only happens if you let yourself be controlled.”
‘The Freedom to Be Different’
The day before Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, dozens of celebrities lined up for the red carpet at Fanatics’ annual party, including Gayle King, Pete Davidson, Kevin Costner, Martha Stewart, and Eli Manning.
Belichick arrived with Hudson. Wearing a UNC T-shirt, he declined to pose for photographers, but Hudson eagerly stepped forward, donning a long Patriots sweatshirt as a minidress paired with white knee-high boots.
Neither Hudson nor Belichick agreed to interviews for this report, and representatives from the Patriots, NFL, and UNC athletics declined comment.
However, Hudson has been outspoken on social media.
Since boldly unveiling their relationship on Instagram last year, she has continued to showcase their romance despite receiving waves of online ridicule and criticism.
“I won’t let cyberbullying silence me,” she wrote alongside a photo of herself dressed as a mermaid being ‘fished’ by Belichick. “I will keep defending love, authenticity, and the freedom to be different. You may burn me at the stake, but you cannot extinguish my light!”
Hudson has also been proactive in leveraging professional opportunities connected to Belichick’s career and establishing herself as a public figure in Chapel Hill.
In January, she posted a photo referencing UNC basketball legend Michael Jordan, seemingly inviting a brand partnership with Nike. The image showed her in a Carolina sweatshirt with the caption: “Air JordOn 1 in Fall 2025. Consider this a formal proposal.”
On LinkedIn, Hudson lists herself as chief operating officer of Belichick Productions and CEO of Trouble Cub Enterprises. Yet her production endeavors have faced challenges.
This winter, NFL Films planned a new season of their Hard Knocks docuseries focusing on Belichick’s efforts to build UNC’s football program for the 2025 season, with HBO agreeing to air it.
Days before the announcement, Hudson insisted on approval rights and partial ownership of the series, leading NFL Films to withdraw.
Producers later learned Hudson was negotiating a similar series with another company, EverWonder, whose CEO declined to comment.
In spring, Hudson sought trademarks on Belichick’s famous Patriots slogans like “No Days Off” and “Do Your Job,” apparently aiming to monetize them.
However, the Patriots have held trademarks on these phrases for years, prompting Hudson to follow a strategy similar to singer Taylor Swift’s re-recording of her albums to regain control.
Hudson applied for trademarks on “No Days Off (Bill’s Version)” and “Do Your Job (Bill’s Version),” among others.
Hudson’s role became publicly controversial last month during a CBS interview with Belichick, when she sharply interrupted to prevent discussion of how they met.
The incident sparked ongoing public relations challenges.
Rumors circulated that UNC planned to ban Hudson from football facilities, which the university denied.
UNC stated, “Although Jordon Hudson is not an employee of the University or Carolina Athletics, she is welcome at Carolina football facilities. She will continue to manage all activities related to Coach Belichick’s personal brand separate from Carolina Football and the University.”
Belichick has defended Hudson’s involvement. “She’s been terrific throughout the process and has helped me a lot,” he said in the ABC interview. “She handles business that’s not related to North Carolina so I can focus on football.”
Still, Hudson’s assertive tactics have caused unease in Chapel Hill.
Shortly after the university’s announcement of Belichick’s hiring, local apparel companies began selling “Chapel Bill” merchandise.
Within days, at least one local business leader received an email from Hudson asserting intellectual property rights over “Chapel Bill,” according to an informed source. Months later, Hudson filed trademark applications for “Chapel Bill” and “Chapel Bill (Bill’s Version).”
Jordon’s Story
Hancock, Maine, is a small fishing town with a market, post office, and a few seafood restaurants lining the highway.
It’s where Hudson grew up as her parents tried to keep their mussel and seaweed harvesting business afloat.
By high school, the family business had failed, and they moved to Provincetown, Massachusetts. In her freshman year—one year after Belichick won his fourth Super Bowl as a coach—she joined the university cheerleading team, according to her Nauset Regional High School yearbook. In her senior year, she simultaneously enrolled in a cosmetology program at New England Hair Academy, according to an Instagram post.
By the end of her first semester at Bridgewater State University, where she studied philosophy and criminal justice, she had earned her cosmetology license. “I have BIG plans for next year,” she wrote on Instagram.
Though attending college during the COVID-19 pandemic, by February 2021 she was traveling and making new friends.
That month, Hudson and Belichick reportedly met on a JetBlue flight to West Palm Beach, Florida—she calls February 11 their “meetiversary.” He signed one of her philosophy textbooks, Deductive Logic, with a note: “Jordon, thanks for giving me a logic course! Have a good trip!” His signature listed his Super Bowl victories with the Patriots: “Bill Belichick SB 36, 38, 39, 49, 51, 53.”
Hudson has not publicly detailed when their romantic relationship officially began. By summer 2023, she was frequently spending time in Foxborough, Massachusetts, home of the Patriots.
During training camp sessions, she reportedly wore red pants at Belichick’s request so he could easily spot her in the crowd, according to a source familiar with Belichick who spoke anonymously.
That fall, when the Patriots played home games at Gillette Stadium and stayed at a nearby hotel the night before, Hudson was often seen meeting with Belichick there.
The Patriots finished the season with a 4-13 record, after which Belichick left the team.
In the fall, Hudson and Belichick began publicly appearing as a couple on social media.
Belichick told CBS he does not pay much attention to social media, despite having an official Instagram account. However, the manager of his Instagram added a comment to Hudson’s mermaid photo: “My biggest catch!!!”
The Fisherman’s Daughter
Since Belichick’s appointment at UNC, Hudson has taken on a role akin to a first lady.
She attended a UNC basketball game, posing courtside in a large sweatshirt and white go-go boots. As football offseason activities ramped up, she was seen walking stadium sidelines in a long faux snake-skin coat and high heels, occasionally cuddling with Belichick.
Hudson shared photos and a viral video of Belichick lying on his back on a Jupiter, Florida beach, lifting her into the air with her belly resting on his feet.
Inspired by the video, Ryan McFee, an artist from New Bedford, Massachusetts, painted the scene, adding a beach sign reading “Patriot Mode,” referencing Belichick’s former NFL team.
Hudson contacted McFee and purchased the painting, requesting the sign be changed to “Belichick Mode,” which he did.
She named the acrylic and spray paint artwork “Mona Lisa Vito,” after a character in the film My Cousin Vinny, reportedly the first movie she and Belichick watched together.
On Instagram, Hudson implies their successes are intertwined. On their fourth “meetiversary,” she posted an image of Belichick’s hand resting on her bare skin, his Super Bowl rings visible. Her hand rested atop his, adorned with two rings of her own.
One ring commemorates the National Cheerleading Association championship she won with Bridgewater State’s team in 2021. The other is a sparkling piece, likely a pink diamond set alongside a white diamond, worn on her ring finger.
Hudson has leveraged her new position to advocate for policies and politicians, especially concerning the fishing industry.
“As a displaced fisherman's daughter, I care about using my voice to protect the fleeting tradition and heritage of Maine fishing families,” she wrote on Instagram.
“I speak for fishermen because fishermen have no voice,” she added.
As part of these efforts, Hudson met with Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins in Washington, D.C., according to the senator’s spokesperson.
Hudson has also ventured into international politics. Following Croatian President Zoran Milanović’s reelection, she posted photos of herself and Belichick meeting with him and his staff in Zagreb. Belichick, of Croatian descent, was honored for representing Croatia in the U.S.
“The people of Croatia have given you their sacred vote,” Hudson wrote on Instagram. “We look forward to reconnecting with you in the next five years, Mr. President.”
Milanović did not respond to requests for comment.
Hudson supports those who support Belichick and dismisses his detractors.
At Super Bowl festivities in New Orleans, she was photographed wearing an Atlanta Falcons shirt from Super Bowl LI—the game in which the Falcons lost to the Patriots in a dramatic comeback. The Falcons notably declined to hire Belichick last year. As expected, the images circulated widely online.
Hudson has her admirers. “We have a new popular young woman on campus,” declared the narrator of a video by Hellyeah UNC, an Instagram account covering the university’s sports culture. “You may know her boyfriend as our new football coach. But Jordon Hudson is the real star moving to Chapel Hill.”
Though internet rumors swirl, most people who know Hudson avoid discussing her publicly.
Bridgewater State students celebrating the end of the semester at Emma’s Pub and Pizza near campus quickly avoided reporters when approached.
“We’re not allowed to talk about her,” said a cheerleading team member before quickly moving to the other side of the bar.
One person willing to speak was Robert Hale Jr., a telecommunications billionaire and Bridgewater State graduation speaker.
At the university’s commencement held at Gillette Stadium, home of the Patriots, he joked that students might have expected a more beloved speaker—perhaps a Kraft family member or current head coach Mike Vrabel. Instead, he said, “the old, old, old Belichick,” who has “very, very, very strong ties with very recent alumni.” The remark drew hearty laughter.
Hudson attended Bridgewater State University until May 2023 but did not earn a degree, according to the university spokesperson. She remains a philosophy student, the same subject that fascinated Belichick on that fateful JetBlue flight four years ago.
“What is love? Or what makes someone worthy of love?” she pondered in a Valentine’s Day social media post. “With so few characters, I cannot dissect or fully answer these questions, but I will highlight some basic concepts.”
Among them were: “We don’t need to justify ‘why’ we love a particular person,” “Love does not discriminate by sex, skin color, religion, age, or ability,” and “Love does not depend on the size of a wallet.”
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