Bill Belichick<\/a>\u00a0is speaking out for the first time after his now-viral interview with CBS Sunday Morning, and defending his girlfriend\u00a0Jordon Hudson<\/a>.<\/p>\n Belichick, 73, issued a statement on Wednesday, April 30 regarding\u00a0his interview<\/a>\u00a0in promotion of his new book\u00a0The Art of Winning: Lessons from a Life in Football<\/em><\/a>, that went sideways when Hudson, 24, shut down\u00a0journalist Tony Dokoupil’s question about how they met.<\/p>\n “I agreed to speak with\u00a0CBS Sunday Morning<\/em>\u00a0to promote my new book,\u00a0The Art of Winning \u2014 Lessons from My Life in Football<\/em>. Prior to this interview, I clearly communicated with my publicist at Simon & Schuster that any promotional interviews I participated in would agree to focus solely on the contents of the book,” Belichick began the statement, sent via email from his employer, the University of North Carolina.<\/p>\n “Unfortunately, that expectation was not honored during the interview. I was surprised when unrelated topics were introduced, and I repeatedly expressed to the reporter, Tony Dokoupil, and the producers that I preferred to keep the conversation centered on the book,” he continued. “After this occurred several times, Jordon, with whom I share both a personal and professional relationship, stepped in to reiterate that point to help refocus the discussion.”<\/p>\n Hudson shutting down the question about their first meeting led to speculation from viewers about the origin of the couple’s relationship, which Belichick addressed in his statement.<\/p>\n “She was not deflecting any specific question or topic but simply doing her job to ensure the interview stayed on track,” he said Wednesday. “Some of the clips make it appear as though we were avoiding the question of how we met, but we have been open about the fact that Jordon and I met on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021.”<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n “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 concluded, calling out CBS. “Instead, it presents selectively edited clips and stills from just a few minutes of the interview to suggest a false narrative \u2014 that Jordon was attempting to control the conversation \u2014 which is simply not true.”<\/p>\n During the CBS segment, after Hudson shut down the question of their first meeting, Dokoupil moved on from the awkward pause by stating in a voiceover, \u201cIt\u2019s a topic neither one of them is comfortable commenting on.\u201d<\/p>\n The journalist then turned his attention to the glimpses the couple has already given into their relationship \u2014 Hudson\u2019s Instagram posts, including a\u00a0snap of them doing beach yoga together<\/a>, and a\u00a0photo of their mermaid-fisherman Halloween costumes<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 and called her a \u201cconstant presence\u201d during their conversation.<\/p>\n Dokoupil also acknowledged Hudson’s presence while asking Belichick how he feels with all of the public interest in the couple\u2019s relationship and private lives.<\/p>\n “I\u2019ve never been too worried about what everyone else thinks,\u201d the\u00a0UNC-Chapel Hill head football coach<\/a>\u00a0replied, adding that instead, he just tries \u201cto do what I feel like is best for me, and what\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n On Tuesday, April 29,\u00a0Hudson shared her first comments<\/a>\u00a0about the interview with a screenshot of an email from Belichick to what appear to be his book publishers, explaining his concerns over promotion for his new memoir. Belichick seemed upset in the email about an article that focused more on his admission that he “f—– up” in a Super Bowl over the “260+ pages” of other topics in the book.<\/p>\n Belichick appeared to sign off on the email writing, “I hope we can get on the same page in promoting the book authentically.” The email is dated April 10, two and half weeks before his\u00a0CBS Sunday Morning<\/em>\u00a0interview aired.<\/p>\n In Hudson’s second slide, she posted a screenshot of a video in her camera roll. The only things visible in the video thumbnail are two sets of shoes on grass and a time stamp showing the video is 35 minutes and 59 seconds long. She also tagged\u00a0CBS Sunday Morning<\/em>‘s Instagram account and Tony Dokoupil, the journalist who conducted the interview.<\/p>\n Hudson has previously posted on social media about how she and Belichick met, and marked their “Meetiversary” on Feb. 11.<\/p>\n “February 11th, 2025 \u27a1\ufe0f February 11th, 2021,” Hudson began in her caption. “Happy Meetiversary\u00a0@billbelichick<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 Cheers \ud83e\udd42 to the fact that you still let me give you lengthy philosophical lectures four years later.”<\/p>\n Hudson showed in the second slide\u00a0the note that Belichick wrote inside her textbook<\/a>\u00a0after their first meeting, when she was a student at Bridgewater State University. The note from Belichick reads, “Thanks for giving me a course on logic! Safe travels.” He concluded the post with his signature, including all of his Super Bowl wins.<\/p>\n![\"Bill](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/5EIbgDOod8nQJWUeaiY2PtBwZzw=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(437x132:439x134):format(webp)\/bill-belichick-girlfriend-jordon-hudson-14th-nfl-honors-020725-f8a8f506a4ea45f9bdb0f800c9976974.jpg\")
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<\/div>\n<\/div>![\"Jordon](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/NalAQLWSBcplCjgIze57tBTWbEs=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)\/Bill-Belichick-email-042925-940809edfb654176bfb669f7b15e0763.jpg\")
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