Bill Belichick said “it is what it is” as far as any noise outside of football is concerned.
Speaking Tuesday during a press conference, the first-year North Carolina football coach seemed nonchalant as he took questions from the media about his personal life, which includes 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson, and the fallout from his disastrous CBS interview to promote his new book, “The Art of Winning.”
“Look, I’m really focused on doing my job here at North Carolina… that’s my big focus,” Belichick responded when asked what the biggest misconception about him is amid the public interest in his personal life. “Is there noise out there? We’ve always dealt with that.
“Really, our job is to build a football team and… help build the team and also build their individual careers. So that’s really where we’re at.”
The former NFL coach, 73, was also asked if the added attention on his personal life has taken away from his opportunity at UNC.
“Again, on some of the noise that’s out there and the book [“The Art of Winning”] and stuff like that, it is what it is,” Belichick said. “That’s a personal venture I entered into when I wasn’t in coaching last year.”
Belichick’s book, which was released in May and made The New York Times’ best sellers list, features a tribute to Hudson, whom he called his “creative muse” and “idea mill.”
During Tuesday’s press conference, Belichick joked, “Hopefully [the book] will be a big purchase on Father’s Day [June 15].”
At one point, Belichick was asked whether Hudson will be on the sidelines during games, to which he laughed.
“No, she doesn’t have any role in the UNC football program,” he said. “But, again, there’s been noise out there about a lot of different things. Again, our focus is day to day, getting better, stacking good days together. Having good rest, recovery, and training. Moving forward the next day.”
Belichick and Hudson were at the center of a media firestorm in April after she interrupted his “CBS Sunday Morning” interview over a question about how the couple met.
After the interview aired, multiple reports alleged Hudson was trying to control Belichick’s career to further her own.
Journalist Pablo Torre, who investigated the couple, claimed Belichick’s family was concerned and digging into Hudson.
Belichick released a statement amid the fallout, explaining that Hudson — who manages his opportunities outside of UNC football — stepped in to refocus the interview on the book and that CBS only aired a short clip of the full 35-minute conversation.
UNC also denied Torre’s claim that Hudson, who attended a spring game and stood on the field with Belichick, was banned from the athletic facility.
Belichick and Hudson went public with their relationship last summer after first meeting on a flight in 2021.