There’s no shortage of headlines surrounding Bill Belichick’s first season at North Carolina — and not all of them have to do with football.
The 73-year-old coach’s high-profile relationship with 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson has dominated off-field discussion in Chapel Hill, sparking questions about how much of a distraction the spotlight might become. But as WRAL’s Brian Murphy reported, the buzz hasn’t stopped fans from buying in — literally.
UNC has already sold out its 20,000-ticket allotment for the upcoming football season. Even with an average 25% hike in ticket prices, there’s been, as Murphy put it, “no pushback.”
"The most significant uptick we've ever had," UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham called it.
That enthusiasm contrasts with some national skepticism. The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel expressed that any honeymoon period for Belichick is already off the table.
“I assume all parties will proceed to kickoff and hope the Hudson story falls to the wayside, as most offseason controversies do,” Mandel wrote. “And it probably will — if the Tar Heels win. Any honeymoon Belichick might have been afforded if his first season goes well has been taken off the table.”
Mandel also pointed out that while UNC has received a lot of off-field attention, some of it is not exactly positive.
“I don’t get the sense that even UNC fans are excited about the program right now,” Mandel added. “I’ve seen quite a few comments in our Belichick/Hudson stories from UNC fans saying they’re embarrassed about their coach.”
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For his part, Belichick has downplayed Hudson’s involvement with the football program, addressing the situation on both Good Morning America and during the ACC spring meetings.
“She’s been terrific through the whole process, and she’s been really helpful to me,” Belichick told GMA. “She does the business things that don’t relate to North Carolina that come up in my life, so I can concentrate [on] football.”
Earlier in the week, he told ESPN, “That’s really off to the side. It’s a personal relationship. She doesn’t have anything to do with UNC football.”
Still, fair or not, all eyes will be on Chapel Hill this fall. If Belichick delivers wins, the noise may quiet. If not, the spotlight will only burn hotter.
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