Patriots great Julian Edelman switched his tone about the drama surrounding his former football coach Bill Belichick and his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson.
During a Wednesday appearance on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” Edelman, who previously defended Hudson over her viral interjection during Belichick’s “CBS Sunday Morning” interview last month, explained that Belichick needs to practice what he preached in the NFL and focus on football.
“The No. 1 thing we used to talk about all the time in New England was distractions. ‘Let’s not make distractions. The game’s already as hard as it is. To prepare for it, to play, to coach.’ And regardless of what her role is, Jordon, yeah, I thought he got an unfair public opinion on the whole thing, because that happens all the time,” said Edelman, who was coached by Belichick for his entire 12-year NFL career with the Patriots. “Anytime we do behind-the-scenes this, that, you’ve got someone that represents you, they’re gonna jump in.
“But now that it’s gained and it’s snowballed to what it’s become right now, where we’re talking about it three weeks later, it’s become a distraction. That’s what we all think right now. This is becoming a distraction. We gotta practice what we preach here.”
Edelman was referring to the fallout over Hudson’s viral interjection during Belichick’s CBS interview — which aired April 27 — and showed her stopping the coach from answering a question about how the couple met.
Cowherd, who previously praised Hudson for her $8 million real estate portfolio, said he didn’t want to be “too judgey” about the subject.
“They’re both benefitting from this, her professionally and him somewhat professionally. So, I don’t like to be too judgey on this stuff,” the FS1 host said.
Edelman agreed and explained that Belichick wouldn’t have allowed this situation to carry on during his 24 seasons coaching in New England.
“I dont either, but once again were talking about this three weeks later … it’s on this, it’s on that,” Edelman said. “It’s getting to a point where we gotta start worrying about the ACC, [and Clemson football coach] Dabo Swinney. We shouldn’t be talking about our girlfriend. And that’s how coach would say to us, so that’s the truth.
“When it comes down to running a football organization and playing football, let’s make the main thing the main thing.”
Edelman previously said the public has treated Hudson unfairly over the situation.
He added that he heard Hudson is juggling multiple roles in Belichick’s professional life and acting as his “representative” — which would have explained her interrupting CBS’ Tony Dokoupil’s question.
“People are giving an unfair reality of what’s going on,” Edelman said on his “Dudes on Dudes” podcast with former Patriots teammate, Rob Gronkowski. “Because she was jumping into that conversation during the interview just like any PR person would jump in when there is an unnecessary question that (they) probably didn’t go over in the pre-production meeting.
“When you look at this situation and you say, ‘Oh, this is his girlfriend jumping’, I think that’s unfair. I think she’s actually working with coach Belichick in the professional world and she was probably went and said, ‘Hey, no, we’re not doing that.’”
After signing a five-year, $50 million deal to be UNC’s next head football coach last December, Belichick brought Hudson into the fold, reportedly including her on all UNC emails, among other things.
Belichick and UNC issued a statement amid the media firestorm last week and explained that that Hudson was simply doing her job and trying to keep the interview focused on his new book, “The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football,” which released Tuesday.
It’s unclear exactly what Hudon’s role is in Belichick’s business and it is also unclear if she is employed by UNC.
The statement also said Belichick and Hudson met while on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021.
They went public with their relationship last June.