UNC chancellor: ‘Delighted about all the attention being paid to Carolina football’

CHAPEL HILL — For leaders at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the Bill Belichick vibes are still good.

The hire of the NFL coaching legend to lead the Tar Heels’ football program has brought significant media attention, both positive and, to some, negative, especially around the role and impact of Belichick’s girlfriend Jordon Hudson.

The university’s chancellor said Thursday that’s precisely why the school hired Belichick, who won six Super Bowls as the head coach of the New England Patriots.

“We wanted, when we hired Coach Belichick, to bring Carolina football to another level,” UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts said Thursday. “And you heard yesterday the report on season-ticket sales. So we increased the price of our season tickets, and we sold them out. We see the same thing on sponsorships, on marketing and the attention to our program. The game against TCU on September 1 is going to be a national primetime game, and so we're delighted about all the attention being paid to Carolina football, and we're excited to see the season.”

North Carolina sold out of its allotment of season tickets (20,000) after increasing ticket prices by, on average, 25%. UNC athletics director Bubba Cunningham called it the “most significant uptick we’ve ever had.” During a presentation to members of the UNC Board of Trustees on Tuesday, athletic department officials said ticket sales for premium areas and suites are at their highest level ever.

Cunningham called the Belichick hire “incredible" and told trustees they’d be hearing more about the “enthusiasm and the positive things going on around the program” before a presentation about the ticket sales and other revenue opportunities enhanced by Belichick’s arrival on campus.

Belichick’s hire in December was hired extensively by sports outlets and some who don’t focus on sports.  A professional coaching star headed to college football for the first time was big news. But the relationship between Belichick, 73, and Hudson, 24, has expanded the story far beyond the sports world.

The two were in a Super Bowl commercial together. Hudson accompanied Belichick to red carpet events. And she has posted photos of the couple on the beach, in Halloween costumes and posing together on her popular Instagram account.

Hudson and Belichick “share a personal and professional relationship,” Belichick said in a statement released by the university on April 30 defending Hudson. That statement came after Hudson interrupted a CBS Sunday Morning interview with Belichick to promote his new book, “The Art of Winning.”

In the interview, Hudson interjected when Belichick was asked how the pair met — on a flight in February 2021. The fallout from the interview set off a firestorm of coverage about Hudson’s role. Days after Belichick was hired in December, he sent an email asking that Hudson be included on emails from a top athletic department official about social media marketing and interview requests – prompting speculation about how much influence she had.

One report indicated that Hudson had been banned from UNC’s football facilities, which Carolina Athletics denied in its own statement. Others said that Hudson played a big role in the collapse of an agreement to have NFL Films’ “Hard Knocks” feature UNC in its series.

But any Hudson-related drama – she finished third in the Miss Maine competition with Belichick in attendance, the New York Times reported she’s told at least one person that she and Belichick are engaged and TMZ reported on an issue that Belichick’s former girlfriend had with her — hasn’t yet publicly altered the enthusiasm for Belichick among UNC brass.

When asked if he or members of his leadership team had discussed Hudson or coverage that could be construed as negative to UNC with Belichick, Roberts said: “We think Coach Belichick is off to a phenomenal start. He’s done a terrific job recruiting, both out of high school and through the transfer portal. He’s built an excellent staff. We’re excited for the season opener at Kenan Stadium on September 1. He put out a statement a couple of weeks ago that I thought was cogent. I don’t have anything to add to that.”

In addition to the Labor Night game, to be televised on ESPN, against TCU, the Tar Heels — coming off a 6-7 season under Mack Brown — have become a coveted television property. The ACC’s television partners, namely Disney-owned ESPN, “ran to us” after the hire of Belichick, ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said.

John Preyer, the outgoing chairman of the UNC Board of Trustees, thanked Roberts on Thursday for “his leadership in helping hire Coach Belichick, and we now have one of the most exciting falls in front of us that we’ve had in a long time.”

Belichick signed a five-year, $50-million contract. The first three years are guaranteed. Belichick would have to pay a $10-million buyout if he were to leave the university before June 1. It drops to $1 million if he were to leave after that date.

Belichick told WRAL that it was the opportunity to coach again that lured him to a college campus after not coaching anywhere in 2024. He said in the interview that “I appreciate every day at Carolina.”

“I just love coaching,” Belichick said. “I love all the aspects of it. I love the team building, I love the fundamentals, working with players, strategy, game competition, and just the whole process. Football's been good to me. It's been good to my family. I grew up in a football family with my dad and around Navy football. And a lot of great players and coaches that I've interacted with in the NFL. It's fun to be a part of a team.”