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New details have emerged about Bill Belichick's infamous CBS interview where his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, interfered and went viral for it.
TMZ reports that Belichick's book publicist allegedly assured him that the CBS interview would be about his new book. Obviously, that was not the case.
Simon & Schuster's senior director of publicity, David Kass, allegedly told the North Carolina Tar Heels football coach, “I can assure you that the conversation [will be] about the book.” He assured Belichick that it would be a “puff piece.”
He also promised that “This is a book segment that looks at your life in football and what people can learn from you to achieve success in their own lives.”
As TMZ notes, Belichick was then asked “no fewer than six questions” about things not related to his new book. These topics included his relationships with Hudson and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and his portrayal in The Dynasty: New England Patriots.
In turn, Belichick was reportedly “furious” with the interview. According to sources, he previously declined several interviews that Kass presented, as he worried about outlets using the book to “pry into subjects not related to the actual book.”
He even wanted to turn down CBS' interview. However, Kass continued pushing it. “I wouldn't be this insistent if this wasn't so important to book sales and without risk,” he said.
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Kass was so adamant that he flew to North Carolina in March to continue pitching it to Belichick. After that, he once again told Belichick that he talked to a CBS producer who was “not interested in going beyond the book.”
Then, a curveball was thrown their way. Kass told Belichick that “there would likely be one question about what you're up to now” on March 26. A couple of weeks later, Kass said that CBS would not provide any more questions before the interview. Kass reportedly tried to set up a call with a producer before the interview took place, but it did not happen.
After the interview, reports surfaced that Bill Belichick was only accompanied to the CBS interview by his girlfriend Jordon Hudson. There were not any publicists with him, and sources explained this. Kass decided not to go, telling the coach's team that he “had asked Bil if he wanted me there and he didn't seem to care, so I thought it best to stay back and not lose all that time in transit.”
During the interview, Belichick was asked about the origins of his relationship with Hudson. When asked how they met, Hudson chimed in from off-camera. “We're not talking about this,” she said before going on-camera.
Belichick and Hudson were highly scrutinized following the interview. Belichick had to release a statement as a result of the disastrous interview.
“I agreed to speak with CBS Sunday Morning to promote my new book, The Art of Winning – Lessons from My Life in Football,” his statement began. “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.”
