1:41 PM PT — CBS is clapping back at Bill Belichick’s claims about his now-controversial interview, insisting there were no restrictions on what could be discussed.
“There were no preconditions or limitations on topics,” CBS News said in a statement Wednesday. “This was confirmed multiple times with his publisher before and after the interview.”
Belichick, meanwhile, is standing by his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, defending her actions during the awkward “CBS Mornings” segment — and blasting the network for how the interview was handled and edited.
The legendary NFL coach says he agreed to speak with CBS’s Tony Dokoupil under the impression that the conversation would only focus on his new book, “The Art Of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football.”
But once the cameras were rolling, Belichick says he was blindsided by repeated questions unrelated to the book.
He claims he made it clear — both to Dokoupil and CBS producers — that he wanted to keep things centered on the book. According to Belichick, Jordon only stepped in when CBS refused to stick to that plan.
“She wasn’t dodging any questions,” Belichick explained in a statement released by the University of North Carolina, where he currently serves as head coach. “She was just doing her job — keeping the interview on track.”
Belichick also addressed speculation about how the two met, saying, “Some clips make it look like we were avoiding the question. But we’ve always been open: we met on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021.”
He didn’t hold back on CBS’s editing choices either, saying the aired segment — which ran about eight minutes — didn’t reflect the full 35-minute conversation they actually had.
“They cut together a few selected clips to create a false narrative — one where it seems like Jordon was trying to control the interview. That’s just not the case,” he said.
Hudson, meanwhile, hasn’t stayed silent. She’s been reposting messages of support on X (formerly Twitter) from those defending her role in the interview.
Despite the drama, the couple seems unbothered — they were recently spotted enjoying a day out together in New York City.