Is he passing the ball?
Following Bill Belichick’s PR fumble on CBS — in which his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson acted as his rep, shutting down sofball questions — he may have called in the pros.
Hudson was noticeably absent during a panel the former Patriots coach, 73, did at NYU’s Stern Business School on Tuesday. Instead, a spy tells Page Six he was accompanied by former Bears V.P. of communications, Brandon Faber.
We hear Hudson was in town and had planned to attend.
“Cooler heads may be starting to prevail,” said one source. “Her influence may be waning.”
The “Purpose x Winning” event with author Suzy Welch went off without a hitch as Belichick answered questions on leadership and what makes a good team.
He even stayed to sign his book “The Art of Winning: Lessons from a Life in Football” for students, says a spy.
ProFootballTalk reported earlier this week that Belichick had been in talks with Faber about coming on board for a “couple of months” but that “nothing has been completed or formalized.”
Faber has more than 20 years in the industry and has also worked with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks and the Chicago Bulls.
Meanwhile, Hudson may be busy prepping to take part in the Miss Maine pageant this weekend.
A source tells us the fisherman’s daughter has “a preoccupation” with the pageant.
“You get a sense that it is the most important thing in her life,” says the source. “She seems to be looking at things [in the media right now] and how they will reflect on her for Miss Maine. It’s a big goal for her.”
Belichick seems like he could use professional help with his brand management.
A source previously told Page Six Hudson has been acting as “CEO of Belichick Inc. and wears every hat in the organization.”
According to the source, her lack of experience was causing issues.
“It’s amateur hour and it’s showing,” said the source. “They don’t know what they are doing and trying to control everything. They don’t trust anyone else.”
We also recently revealed that the former cheerleader “demanded” to be an executive producer on the famed football coach’s now-scrapped season of the docuseries “Hard Knocks,” according to sources.
The project, which was reportedly shelved after just two days, was supposed to focus on his first season as head football coach at the University of North Carolina
An insider had said that Hudson wanted to see dailies and allegedly told execs to treat her with respect or they wouldn’t get to use the coach’s “IP.”
Page Six also reported that Hudson forced her way into the Dunkin Donuts ad that ran during the Super Bowl which featured her, Belichick, Ben Affleck and brother Casey Affleck.
A sports source told Page Six, “She forced her way in…. but Bill saw it as a way for her to get paid. People said they’ve never seen anything like it.”
Last month it was reported that Hudson’s company, Trouble Cub Enterprises, filed for 14 trademarks to reclaim various phrases coined by the coach which are currently owned by his former team, the New England Patriots.
She has also amassed $8 million in property since they started dating three years ago.
Following Hudson shutting down a question about how the couple met on CBS, as well as reportedly storming off set, the network and Belichick issued sparring statements.
Belichick defended Hudson saying his expectation was to only discuss his new book in 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 said, insisting that Hudson was “not deflecting any specific question or topic but simply doing her job to ensure the interview stayed on track.”
CBS fired back in a subsequent statement of its own, saying, “There were no preconditions or limitations to this conversation. This was confirmed repeatedly with his publisher [Simon & Schuster] before the interview took place and after it was completed.”
A rep for UNC did not respond to request for comment.