Dave Portnoy has ripped into Bill Belichick’s statement after the North Carolina boss defended girlfriend Jordon Hudson’s involvement in his recent CBS interview.
Belichick, 73, defended his 49-years-younger lover from the fallout, calling claims she repeatedly tried to control the interview ‘a false narrative’.
Jordon, 24, has been blasted across the internet after CBS showed a clip of her calling out from off-camera to shoot down a question about how she and the legendary football coach met, while Bill’s daughter-in-law Jennifer has even lashed out at her for ‘storming off’ and not acting in a ‘professional manner’.
Belichick then went on the offense by accusing CBS of using ‘selectively edited clips’ that have made Hudson subject of ongoing ridicule.
Now, Portnoy, a longtime Bostonian and New England Patriots fan, has blasted his favorite team’s iconic ex-coach for his counter remarks.
‘The fact that this statement is on the official website of North Carolina is bonkers,’ the Barstool founder said in one post.
Dave Portnoy has ripped into North Carolina head football coach Bill Belichick ‘s statement
The Tar Heels’ leader defended his 49-years-younger girlfriend from the interview fallout
‘I think Bill is probably as aware that this statement was released as he was that he has a very active Instagram account,’ Portnoy added.
Belichick’s statement came three days after the interview aired, and more than four months into his tenure in Chapel Hill.
‘I agreed to speak with CBS Sunday Morning to promote my new book,’ Belichick said. ‘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. Unfortunately, that expectation was not honored during the interview.’
‘I was surprised when unrelated topics were introduced, and I repeatedly expressed to the reporter, Tony Dokoupil, and the producers that I preferred to keep the conversation centered on the book.
‘After this occurred several times, Jordon, with whom I share both a personal and professional relationship, stepped in to reiterate that point to help refocus the discussion.
‘She was not deflecting any specific question or topic but simply doing her job to ensure the interview stayed on track. 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 Jordon and I met on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021.
‘The final eight-minute segment does not reflect the productive 35-minute conversation we had, which covered a wide range of topics related to my career. Instead, it presents selectively edited clips and stills from just a few minutes of the interview to suggest a false narrative – that Jordon was attempting to control the conversation – which is simply not true.’
In the background, Belichick’s friends are said to be increasingly concerned at the control Hudson has over the eight-time Super Bowl winner, while North Carolina are said to be questioning if he is still the right man to be their football coach.
Belichick’s statement came three days after the interview aired and four months into his tenure
The 24-year-old Hudson had muscled awkwardly into boyfriend Belichick’s CBS interview
Friends are said to be concerned by the influence that Hudson appears to have over Belichick
CBS responded to Belichick’s claims on Wednesday, rebuking some of what the gridiron legend claimed.
‘When we agreed to speak with Mr. Belichick, it was for a wife-raging interview,’ a spokesperson for CBS News stated. ‘There were no preconditions or limitations to this conversation. This was confirmed repeatedly with his publisher before the interview took place and after it was completed.’
In what appears to be a show of support from UNC to Belichick’s tenure, his statement was released by the school in order to try and calm the outpouring of shock at Sunday’s scenes.
Daily Mail exclusively reported earlier this week that Belichick and Hudson are unfazed, overall, by the response to the interview. Belichick thinks some of the critics from his all-conquering run as Patriots coach now want to see him fail in Chapel Hill.
After the interview aired on Sunday, Pro Football Talk claimed that Hudson interrupted proceedings on so many occasions, CBS decided to include one moment to reflect her overriding influence.
TMZ then claimed that Hudson stormed out of the interview for 30 minutes at one stage as she was so unhappy with the direction it was going.
Belichick’s statement doesn’t address those allegations but it is perhaps notable that he described the overall discussion as a ‘productive 35-minute conversation’.
On Wednesday, New York Times reported that Hudson’s presence was ‘instrumental’ in a deal breaking down for the iconic ‘Hard Knocks’ series to film their behind-the-scenes show with Belichick at UNC.
