Ex-Patriots player Ted Johnson says UNC should fire Bill Belichick over Jordon Hudson romance

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Bill Belichick’s high-profile relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson has ignited fresh controversy after a chaotic CBS interview, and now, a former New England Patriots linebacker is questioning the legendary coach’s mental fitness and professional judgment.

Ted Johnson, who won a Super Bowl under Belichick, told Boston’s WEEI radio on Tuesday, April 29, that he believes the University of North Carolina should reconsider its decision to hire the 73-year-old as head coach, as per the Daily Mail. 

Former Patriots star Ted Johnson raises alarm over Bill Belichick’s controversial relationship

“I think the Carolina Tar Heels should consider firing Bill Belichick,” Ted Johnson said, pointing to the viral moment in which Jordon Hudson interrupted Bill Belichick’s 'CBS Sunday Morning' interview, drawing widespread criticism and prompting speculation about her influence over the coach. 

“But I look at Bill Belichick and I wonder if he’s fit to coach an NFL team, let alone fit to coach a college team, which, again, I put more onus on the character and personality of a college coach than I do a pro coach. So I’m worried that Bill Belichick just isn’t fit to coach college kids, and UNC should consider cutting ties with Bill Belichick,” the 52-year-old added. 

Johnson highlighted not just the age gap and public behavior of the pair, but the deeper concerns about Belichick’s judgment.

Having said that, his colleague Andy Hart disagreed with the idea that UNC should take any disciplinary action against Belichick. Still, Johnson stood by his criticism, calling Belichick’s choices both on the field and in his professional associations “bad decisions.”

He specifically pointed to Hudson’s presence at spring practice and her decision to share the email publicly on Instagram.

“You don’t think he knows that that email was being posted on her Instagram? Of course he knows,” Johnson expressed. “To me, those are bad decisions that make him and the university look really bad and question whether or not he is of sound mind and should be running a football team at the University of North Carolina. I think it’s just something you have to really, really consider.”

Belichick and Hudson’s relationship has drawn increasing attention ever since he took the reins of the Tar Heels’ football program. According to The Athletic, Belichick even requested that Hudson be copied on his work emails.

Trying to ease some of the criticism, Hudson, on Tuesday, released an April 10 email from Belichick in which he expressed frustration over how the media was handling the coverage of his book.

Johnson spent nearly a decade with the Patriots, suiting up from 1995 to 2004. Over the course of 125 games, he notched 11.5 sacks. 

Bill Belichick’s CBS interview called a 'media disaster' over GF Jordon Hudson's odd behavior

The CBS Mornings sit-down was meant to promote Bill Belichick’s new book, 'The Art of Winning', but quickly devolved into what insiders have called a “media disaster.”

When interviewer Tony Dokoupil asked Belichick about how he met Hudson, the 24-year-old, who wasn't part of the interview, shut down the question, saying, "We're not talking about this." In a voiceover, the journalist told viewers that “Jordon was a constant presence during our interview.”

Insiders told TMZ that Hudson, at one point, stormed off set and demanded Belichick leave the room with her, delaying the shoot by half an hour. Moreover, CBS producers were left “baffled” when the veteran coach arrived with no handlers or publicists, just Hudson.

A second scheduled interview was reportedly canceled afterward.

In the email shared by Hudson, Belichick criticized the press for focusing on his past mistakes and the sensational aspects of the book rather than its professional insights.

“I am fine with putting mistakes in the book, but I am certainly not surprised that of the 260+ pages, that is what they would highlight,” he wrote. 

"I will say again, that 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," Belichick added. 

The 73-year-old stressed, "I have, at times reluctantly, gone along with the title, cover, and language in the book. I am not going to be the conductor of a hype train in the book promotion — we have enough hype to work with. I hope we can get on the same page in promoting the book authentically."

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Super Bowl-winning coach said, "The final eight-minute segment does not reflect the productive 35-minute conversation we had, which covered a wide range of topics related to my career."

He insisted, "Instead, it presents selectively edited clips and stills from just a few minutes of his interview to suggest a false narrative — that Jordon was attempting to control the conversation — which is simply not true."