Belichick, UNC in talks with PR specialist amid Jordon Hudson drama: report

Amid some unwanted headlines involving Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson, the North Carolina head coach may turn to a PR expert to do damage control.

Bill Belichick turns to the PR experts amid the Jordon Hudson drama | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Facing mounting criticism over the apparent role of Jordon Hudson in his life and work, Bill Belichick could now turn to a public relations expert to handle the situation.

Belichick has been in conversation with at least one PR specialist to help promote his book tour and the general perception around his leadership of the football program, according to PFT.

While the coach has been in touch with former Chicago Bears vice president of communications Brandon Faber for a few months, the relationship has not been made formal.

The would-be professional relationship could find Faber potentially working directly for North Carolina or in helping Belichick with his public perception, or both.

Some guidance on the matter might be welcome on the heels of a torrent of news stories that appear to show Hudson has an outsized role in managing Belichick’s reputation.

Those stories have aroused some noteworthy reaction, not only from media figures, but sparked an intervention from one of Belichick’s former players, and apparently his own daughter in law.

Last month, The Athletic published emails that showed Hudson instructing North Carolina’s communications department on how to handle the announcement of Steve Belichick as the Tar Heels’ defensive coordinator, asking the school’s media team to get out in front of allegations of nepotism.

Other messages expressed her concern with how Belichick was being perceived publicly and whether the North Carolina staff was doing enough to shield his reputation from criticism.

Those messages raised some concerns about why Belichick’s girlfriend was telling the school’s staff how to perform their jobs and what was her exact role in his leading the football program.

Previous reporting also suggests that Hudson “demanded” to be named an executive producer on the “Hard Knocks” program that was supposed to feature North Carolina’s preseason preparations as Belichick took over the football program. That is, before the show was junked.

Hudson wanted to review daily shooting from the show as it was being recorded and reportedly told NFL Films brass to “treat her with respect, or they wouldn’t get to use the coach’s IP.”

That was enough for the Hard Knocks producers to walk away from the deal after it appeared to be a sure thing.

Then came a very awkward interview Belichick had with CBS in which Hudson interrupted some of the questioning, particularly when the coach was asked how the two met.

“We’re not talking about this,” Hudson is heard to say when Belichick was asked that question.

But most everyone is talking about the relationship between Belichick and Hudson whether they like it or not, in what’s becoming a distraction North Carolina would prefer would just go away.

(PFT)

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