Sports discourse is fickle and very cutthroat. Even a Lamar Jackson, who’s won multiple MVPs in an era stacked with future Canton inductees, doesn’t carry unanimous reverence. For every proponent of his, there’s someone who’ll draw attention to the proverbial money on his back. His consistent inconsistencies in the playoffs. But how Lamar isn’t the first all-timer that gets his spotlight dimmed and name smeared. It’s been happening for eons, and will continue to happen perpetually. The greatest defensive mind in the history of the sport, Bill Belichick, often suffers the same fate. 6 championships for a Patriots franchise he essentially helped build into a juggernaut. Yet, he still doesn’t quite get his flowers. Conceded, there are caveats to his success and reasons why the fanfare is somewhat muted. But Belichick has just made it clear- he wants his dues.

Bill Belichick is currently juggling his duties as the new head coach of the UNC Tar Heels with a press tour. The premise of which is to promote his new autobiography, titled “The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football.” Now, those privy to Belichick’s relationship with the media over the years should know one thing. Some level of friction or controversy was bound to stem from this press tour. Which has happened, and his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson is also involved. Both fanning the flames of controversy and having to contend with backlash. But that’s secondary for now. Belichick’s main purpose in writing this book has become apparent in his own words. It’s not just to teach people the Xs and Os of the sport. It’s also to remind the masses, and maybe Robert Kraft, just how much he has done for the Patriots.

Jordon Hudson took to IG to share a message from Bill Belichick. The post actually entails a screenshot of what looks like an email from Belichick to his team. Seemingly the people responsible for the promotion of his book and of making sure the coverage around it is in good taste. Amid a lot of interesting stuff in said email, one paragraph drew particular attention. Perhaps even because Belichick wanted it to. “I want this book to be presented as a look at my professional life and how I did my job[.] On the way up to, and as the leader of, an organization that grew from a $500 m franchise to an $8 b organization that played in 10 and won 6 Super Bowls over 25 years,” read an excerpt from that email. Gotta say, not a lot of lies told here. 

Like it or not, Belichick was the Pats’ leader and figurehead, even if he wasn’t the face of the franchise. Naturally, he deserves credit for raising their valuation by a gaudy $7.5 billion. There are blemishes on his resume that undercut his success in New England, such as how the team fell off a cliff after Tom Brady left, which was partly his fault as well. The Patriots’ struggles post-Brady gave rise to the notion that Belichick was riding his coattails. Then, of course, you have SpyGate. You also have that Super Bowl they lost to the Eagles, which Belichick self-proclaims to have miscoached and mismanaged. But in the grand scheme of things, he should have near-universal acknowledgment.

Does he get that acknowledgement? Maybe not. Why? It once again circles back to the conversation around Lamar Jackson. Nobody is averse to skeptics and naysayers. But Belichick sure will hope his book can change the perception and convert some of those naysayers. Well, if the way this press tour is transpiring is anything to go by, the book probably won’t succeed in doing so. Both Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson have been caught in a media whirlwind over the past couple of days. It’s almost as if they’ve taken on the onus of diverting attention from the Shedeur Sanders ordeal over the NFL Draft weekend!

Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson have been catching plenty of flak online

Bill Belichick did an interview with CBS Sports to discuss his career, life and promote the aforementioned autobiography. They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Belichick will hope that’s true, because the interview was a bit of a disaster. The reaction on social media has been one of disdain and repulsion.

People think Belichick came across as cringey and restrained, as if he were on a proverbial leash. Jordon Hudson was in the room during the interview and witness accounts, as well as footage from the interview, show her asserting authority on both Belichick and the interviewer. She explicitly prevented him from answering at least one question. There have also been reports by TMZ that about 3o minutes of the interview were edited out. And that Jordon “stormed out” of the interview at one stage, creating a scene.

Alas, Bill Belichick and his girlfriend’s private life aren’t of any concern when it comes to his professional track record. A couple of bad interviews won’t dull the sheen of his 8 rings, 6 as head coach. Nor will new controversy smear his image as somebody who’s had plenty of them over the years. Jordon’s proactivity in Bill’s life has been a feature of the overarching conversations surrounding him, though. That said, he’s making sure the main thing remains the main thing. As evidenced by that email excerpt.