The University of North Carolina was hoping Bill Belichick would bring headlines and national attention to its football program. While Belichick has certainly made headlines, he’s yet to coach a game in Chapel Hill.
Not long after his arrival as the Tar Heels' new football coach, questions began to surface about the influence of his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, after a leaked email showed Belichick instructed staffers to include her in future communications.
Then came the now-infamous CBS interview, in which Belichick and Hudson were widely criticized for their on-camera dynamic. The fallout from the interview has left the former Patriots coach in image-repair mode.
MORE: UNC’s Bill Belichick handed urgent plan to fix public image, including ditching Jordon Hudson
For the first time in his storied career, it appears Belichick may have lost control of the narrative. But according to former Florida and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, that assumption is misguided.
“I would probably push back on that, Rob. I would say no, he’s not,” Meyer told co-host Rob Stone on The Triple Option Podcast, who suggested Belichick had lost control. “There is absolutely zero probability. This is an interview that somehow went rogue, it became a topic of all headlines. Coach, I believe, put out a statement explaining the situation. It should be over and move on. ... No, absolutely not, he hasn't lost control. It just became a topic of conversation."
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Meyer added that the controversy surrounding Belichick and Hudson seems to be more of a media obsession than an internal issue at UNC.
“The depth of this... which I’m saying, it’s superficial nonsense,” Meyer said of the situation.
Stone, however, argued that Hudson’s presence needs to be addressed publicly.
“I think she has to be told, or better yet, realize and understand that she needs to take herself out of the conversation,” Stone said.
“That might happen,” Meyer replied.
Belichick is still on his book tour, though the focus has clearly shifted. As Meyer noted, most inside Chapel Hill are just ready to move on.
“I can tell you this — everybody in Chapel Hill wants to go play that first game and let the coach coach and the players play,” Meyer said. “Unfortunately, there’s a lot of time until that happens.”
North Carolina will open its 2025 season at home against TCU on Monday, Sept. 1, marking Belichick’s college coaching debut.
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