All eyes were on Bill Belichick Saturday night as he stepped onto the sideline in Chapel Hill to coach his young football players against the No 1 team in the country.
With millions tuning in for the primetime showdown between Belichick’s North Carolina and Miami, the university’s head coach would have been acutely aware that something big had changed.
For the first time this season, as he looked among the UNC players and staff alongside him, there was one very important person missing: his now-ex girlfriend Jordon Hudson.
The 25-year-old cheerleader had been at every UNC home game this season, but was conspicuous by her absence on Saturday night as she appeared to stay out of the limelight, just hours after the TMZ bombshell that her relationship with the 74-year-old football coach was over.
Until now, details have been sparse, with reports that not even team staffers were aware of the break-up until it hit the headlines, despite it happening almost a year ago.
Now, a source close to Belichick has revealed to the Daily Mail why the romance came to an end, the decision to not tell anyone and how Belichick’s ‘first love’ has been consuming his life.
Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson called it quits on their high-profile relationship last year
Belichick was on the UNC sideline on Saturday night for the first time since the news broke
Speaking ahead of Saturday night’s game – an eventual heartbreaking 38-35 loss against Miami – our source revealed Belichick’s frustration at the news of their break-up becoming public knowledge so close to kickoff in the biggest game of his season.
‘He would much rather this stayed under wraps,’ the source said. ‘The last thing he wanted was a distraction, but unfortunately, here they are, having to deal with it at the worst possible time. It’s certainly not the way he wanted this week to unfold.’
The big question on everyone’s lips, understandably, has been: Why? At least publicly, the loved-up pair were the perfect couple, doting on each other at high-profile events and privately supporting each other’s careers.
‘Their relationship started to become bigger news than either of them ever wanted, and Bill was trying to protect it while also giving it the attention he felt it deserved,’ the source continued.
‘Looking back, that was a big part of what pulled his focus away from football last season. He was thinking about taking the next steps with her, getting engaged, getting married, and building a future together, while also dealing with the constant attention and outside scrutiny that came with being in such a high-profile relationship. It became overwhelming for both of them.’
For Hudson, it will have been particularly difficult, given her meteoric rise from anonymity to one half of America’s most polarizing and talked-about couples.
Hudson bizarrely referred to ‘Bill the WAG’ in April, long after they had apparently broken up
At one point during the loss to Miami, Belichick became enraged at one of the referees
‘Jordon had opportunities like Dancing with the Stars and several other outside projects,’ the source added, ‘but everything surrounding their relationship seemed to turn into a distraction and were reasons she didn’t do certain things.
‘Eventually, the pressure started taking a toll, and they both felt it was best to slow things down and take a step back. But they made a conscious decision not to tell anyone.
‘They knew that if word got out that they had split before this season, it would have created another media circus and become an even bigger distraction for Bill and the team.’
As it turns out, perhaps that decision was the correct one for Belichick and his team, who have been hugely improved on the field in comparison to his first year as head coach.
After wins against the likes of Duke and East Tennessee State, Hudson was by Belichick’s side to celebrate the wins, the pair beaming at each other as they strolled off the field and down the tunnel.
So what has changed? They may not be romantically involved – at least currently – but reports of them remaining ‘close friends’ are accurate, and Hudson still appears to be in control of much of Belichick’s business away from the sideline.
Belichick has been focused on his ‘first love’ – football – and that contributed to their break-up
‘Eventually, the pressure started taking a toll, and they both felt it was best to slow things down and take a step back. But they made a conscious decision not to tell anyone,’ the source said
‘They still want to remain close, and there’s certainly a part of both of them that would love to find their way back to each other. But right now, their individual career goals have to come first,’ our source said.
‘They still have joint ventures together and genuinely want to remain part of each other’s lives. Jordon would love to get married and have children, and Bill wanted those things, too. But the age difference and where they are in their lives became a factor.
‘When Bill really took a step back and thought about what he wanted, he realized that his first love has always been football. Rather than let things get more complicated or allow resentment to build, they mutually agreed that taking a step back from the relationship was the best thing for both of them.
‘That’s why there’s no animosity between them. They still care about each other, still support one another, and have no desire to turn their split into something ugly.’
One particularly surprising piece of information to come out of TMZ’s report was that Hudson has been dating other men since their split. Intriguingly, that hasn’t irked Belichick and instead, he is focused solely on his first love: football.
‘Don’t rule out the possibility of them finding their way back to each other down the road, but realistically, that probably wouldn’t happen until Bill is finished with football,’ our insider adds.
It is not out of the question that the pair eventually rekindle their love and they remain close
‘He’s committed to UNC and wants to get the program back on track, but there’s still a part of him that would love one more shot at coaching in the NFL. He intends to stay at UNC for the long haul, though, unless an NFL opportunity comes along that’s simply too good to turn down.
‘Until then, his focus is on football, and any possibility of rekindling the relationship would likely have to wait.
‘The dating others talk on her side of things really doesn’t seem to be much of a factor right now. Bill isn’t opposed to her dating someone else, and Jordon isn’t against him moving on either, but honestly, his attention is almost entirely on football.
‘You can see the difference in how the team is performing this season compared to last year, and a lot of that comes down to how completely invested he is in the team. Right now, football is his priority, and everything else seems to be taking a back seat.’
