
Lurking Jordon Hudson made things ‘weird' during our Bill Belichick interview: former NFL star
Crowder, who co-hosts the show with former NFL players Fred Taylor and Ryan Clark, explained that Hudson 'choreographed the open' with Belichick, which aired on May 16 — and began with just Clark and Belichick discussing Hudson's role in his life and the discourse around his disastrous interview with 'CBS Sunday Morning' last month.
'He's all in if you talk football, but if you start talking personal stuff he starts doing the mumble and the one-word answers and his old lady is different,' Crowder, who starred as Dolphins pass-rusher from 2005-'10, said on his WQAM podcast with Marc Hochman 'Hochman and Crowder' last week.
'She lurks. It's weird to know him as Coach Belichick running the entire organization as GM, head coach, talent coordinator, all that stuff, and then to see this tiny little 95-pound girl pretty much telling him what to do.
3 Bill Belichick on 'The Pivot' podcast on May 16, 2025.
YouTube/The Pivot Podcast
'… She was there. She kind of coordinates and brand manages… She has her paws on the situation. It's different… it was weird to be around Belichick and Jordon. I don't see Belichick in that light. But he just smiles and nods.'
Crowder didn't elaborate further about Hudson apparently choreographing the opening of Belichick's interview on 'The Pivot' podcast.
3 Channing Crowder on 'The Pivot' podcast with guest, Bill Belichick on May 16, 2025.
YouTube/The Pivot Podcast
The interview opened with Clark asking about the legendary coach calling Hudson his 'idea mill' and 'creative muse' in his new book, 'The Art of Winning,' which made the New York Times best-seller list.
Clark next asked Belichick if CBS had asked him about the inclusion of Hudson in his book, and he replied that they had, 'but that wasn't shown.'
3 Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson.
Instagram/Jordon Hudson
Clark brought up how CBS aired Hudson interrupting the interview to stop Belichick from answering a question about how the couple met — and then Clark asked Belichick how he balances his personal life without it becoming a distraction.
Clark was the only one who spoke with Belichick about his personal life before the conversation shifted to football with Crowder and Taylor.
Belichick has been on a media tour to promote his book, while also doing damage control from the fallout of his interview with CBS.
Multiple reports have painted Hudson in a negative light, alleging that she's controlling his career in order to further her own.
Public records list Hudson as the manager of several companies including All BB Team LLC, Coach Show LLC and Chapel Bill LLC.
An investigation by former ESPN reporter Pablo Torre alleged Hudson was banned from UNC athletic facilities, which the university and Belichick denied in a joint statement.
Hudson denied Torre's allegations in a now-deleted fiery Instagram Story.
'Pablo Torre's 'findings' have been nothing short of factually incorrect, slanderous, defamatory and targeted,' Hudson wrote, as captured by TMZ before it was deleted.
Belichick has said publicly that Hudson, a former NCAA champion cheerleader at Bridgewater State University, has nothing to do with his football program at UNC — and that the athletic department has backed him through the media firestorm.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nevada Supreme Court approves Jon Gruden appeal in NFL lawsuit, blocks arbitration
The Nevada Supreme Court has sided with Jon Gruden in an appeal, marking the latest victory in his ongoing lawsuit against the NFL. The decision, which was made official on Monday, blocks the NFL from sending the case into arbitration. One of the issues at hand was an arbitration clause in the NFL's constitution, which the league argued kept Gruden from being able to make the lawsuit public. But on Monday, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled 5-2 in favor of the former Las Vegas Raiders coach, finding that the clause is "unconscionable" and does not apply to Gruden, as he is a former employee, via NBC's Mike Florio. Gruden sued the NFL shortly after resigning from the Raiders in 2021, but his latest legal battles have been around the manner of the lawsuit. Gruden has wanted his trial to be public, as part of a quest to expose what he believes were deliberate leaks in the NFL; the league, meanwhile, wanted a closed-door arbitration. Gruden originally won before a trial court, but a Nevada Supreme Court panel overturned the ruling in May 2024 as part of a lengthy appeal. Per court documents, Gruden's lawyers filed for a rehearing on the appeal last summer, which was denied. A month later, they filed for an en banc reconsideration, which was granted in October. The panel officially sided with Gruden on Monday. The NFL has yet to comment on Gruden's latest legal victory, but it is likely that the league will appeal the ruling in the U.S. Supreme Court, which may or may not decide to hear the case. Gruden sought public lawsuit in court to expose 'the truth' Gruden resigned from his job as Raiders head coach in 2021 after a New York Times report exposed his email exchanges with former Washington Football Team executive Bruce Allen, among others, that showed his use of racist, anti-gay and misogynistic language. Gruden sued the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell in 2021, accusing them of plotting to destroy his career via a "malicious and orchestrated campaign" by leaking those emails. The emails surfaced from an investigation into the Washington Commanders and then-team owner Dan Snyder. The lawsuit argues that Gruden was targeted in the alleged leaks and that "there is no explanation or justification" for why the correspondence of others in the league was not exposed. Gruden had previously vowed that "the truth will come out" regarding unnamed others around the NFL. NFL sought closed-door arbitration The NFL has since made multiple attempts to strike down the lawsuit, arguing that a clause in Gruden's contract with the Raiders requires him to seek dispute settlement via arbitration. Gruden's attorneys have argued that the clause doesn't apply since he his no longer an employee of the Raiders and that his dispute is with the NFL, not the Raiders. In 2022, Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Judge Nancy Allf denied the NFL's effort to dismiss the lawsuit and ruled that the case could continue in open court. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy dismissed Gruden's lawsuit as meritless after the district court ruling and vowed to appeal. 'The allegations are entirely meritless and the NFL will vigorously defend against these claims,' McCarthy's 2022 statement reads.
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kyle Shanahan doesn't expect Brandon Aiyuk to return from ACL injury until October at the earliest
The San Francisco 49ers don't expect Brandon Aiyuk back anytime soon. Aiyuk tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee against the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 20 last season, ending his 2024 campaign in Week 7. Head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed the status of the All-Pro wide receiver on Monday alongside that of backup rookie quarterback Kurtis Rourke and second-year safety Malik Mustapha, who are also recovering from torn ACLs. Shahanan declined to offer a definitive return timeline for any of them. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] "I always see them around Week 6," Shanahan said of their potential returns. "Which that could mean Week 10. That could be Week 5. "That's the area where I start thinking about it, which is a long ways away. I know it's not Week 1 or anything like that. So it's something I'm not thinking about too much. Signs point to Aiyuk starting season on PUP list The timeline Shanahan offered coincides with the NFL's physically unable to perform (PUP) list rules, indicating that all are on track to start the season on the reserve/PUP list. Aiyuk is currently on the preseason PUP list. If he starts the regular season on the reserve/PUP list, he wouldn't be eligible to return until Week 5. From there, players on the reserve/PUP list have through Week 9 to return to practice and 21 days from that point to be elevated to the active roster. Players who don't return within those guidelines remain on the reserve list for the remainder of the season. The most optimistic of Shanahan's projections — a Week 5 game against the Los Angeles Rams — would see Aiyuk return on Oct. 2 for what projects as a key NFC West matchup. That would mean a layoff of nearly a full year from his injury. A Week 10 return would place Aiyuk back in the lineup for another game against the Rams on Nov. 9. Each of those projected missed weeks would involve missing a game. The 49ers don't have their bye until Week 14. The bottom line here: Don't expect Aiyuk back until Week 5 at the earliest. Beyond that, his timeline remains murky. Who will step up from hobbled 49ers offense? The sooner Aiyuk returns, the better for the 49ers, obviously. Aiyuk broke out in 2023 with 75 catches for 1,342 yards (17.9 yards per reception) and seven touchdowns, an effort that earned him a selection as a second-team All-Pro. His effort eventually earned him a four-year, $120 million extension to his rookie contract following a holdout through most of 2024 training camp. Aiyuk's production dropped before his Week 7 injury, and he finished 2024 with 25 catches for 374 yards and no touchdowns through six-plus games. The 49ers are counting on him to return to his All-Pro form whenever he is cleared from his knee injury. The 49ers no longer employ longtime receiver Deebo Samuel, whom they traded to the Washington Commanders in the offseason. That leaves Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings atop the 49ers depth chart when healthy alongside second-year pro Ricky Pearsall, who remarkably recovered last season from a gunshot wound to the chest to play in 11 games and tally 400 yards and three touchdowns. Jennings has been sidelined with a calf injury during practice amid a reported desire for a new contract. Shanahan said recently that his absence from practice has been due to a legitimate injury and not because of his contract situation. A first-round selection in the 2024 Draft, Pearsall could be in line for a potential breakout on the heels of a healthy offseason with Aiyuk sidelined to start the season. The 49ers are also expected to be without fourth-round rookie receiver Jordan Watkins, who Shanahan said Monday will be sidelined for at least a month with a high-ankle sprain. The good injury news in San Francisco is that All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey has so far remained healthy through training camp after being limited to four games in 2024 due to multiple injuries to his calf, Achilles tendon and knee.


USA Today
16 minutes ago
- USA Today
Kelvin Banks Jr. looked the part of a top-10 draft pick in Saints preseason opener
Kelvin Banks Jr. in his NFL debut:⚜️ 84.9 pass-blocking grade⚜️ 12 pass-blocking snaps⚜️ 0 pressures allowed He may have not been one of the top 10 rookies in Madden NFL 26, but Kelvin Banks Jr. looked the part of a top-10 draft pick in Sunday's New Orleans Saints preseason opener. While he only logged 20 snaps against the Los Angeles Chargers, Banks was spotless on 12 reps in pass protection. He didn't allow any quarterback pressures or draw a single penalty. The only rookie offensive lineman who earned a higher Pro Football Focus grade in pass pro than Banks (84.9) was Esa Poe, an undrafted left tackle with the Kansas City Chiefs who received an 85.2 for his work against the Arizona Cardinals. Poe's teammate Dalton Cooper ranked third with an 83.9, so that suggests Banks could have a favorable matchup waiting for him in September when the Cardinals visit New Orleans. But back to Banks. This is all exactly what we needed to see out of him. Banks has been mostly solid this summer (except when matching up against Chase Young one-on-one at training camp), and he got off to a hot start this week. Now he needs to do it again next Sunday, and pretty much every following Sunday through January. If there's one area he could improve, it's run blocking. His 46.9 grade ranked third-worst for New Orleans this week. The Saints used a zone blocking concept on six of his reps with just one play following gap-assignment concepts, so it's obvious where Banks needs to focus on cleaning things up. If you're curious, the Texas Longhorns ran out of zone and gap on a nearly-even split during his three years in the lineup, so it's not like he's inexperienced. He just needs to lock in what his coaches are teaching him. That'll come with more reps.