Former Patriots Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman defended Hudson’s behavior
Bill Belichick’s daughter-in-law, Jennifer Schmitt, has weighed in on the coach’s viral CBS interview — and his girlfriend Jordon Hudson.
Schmitt, wife to Belichick’s son Stephen, shared her thoughts in the comments of an Instagram Reel from Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman’s podcast Dudes on Dudes on Wednesday, April 30, where Belichick’s former Patriots stars defended Hudson, 24.
Edelman, a Patriot from 2009 until 2020, said Hudson’s critics are “giving an unfair reality of what’s going on,” arguing that she was functioning as his publicist. “Because she was jumping into that conversation during the interview just like any PR person would jump in when there’s an unnecessary question that probably [they] didn’t go over in the pre-production meeting.”
Edelman went on to add, “When you look at this situation and you say, ‘This is his girlfriend jumping in,’ I think that’s unfair,” he added. “I think she’s actually working with coach Belichick in the professional world.”
Belichick’s daughter-in-law, however, disagreed with Gronkowski and Edelman’s take. “Publicists act in a professional manner and don’t ‘storm’ off set delaying an interview,” Schmitt wrote in response to a comment left by comedian Nikki Glaser, who like Edelman and Gronkowski was supporting Hudson.
Glaser, who has spent time with Hudson and Belichick, wrote, “100% this,” referring to Edelman and Gronkowski’s defense of Hudson. “She’s acting as his publicist. Publicists do this during interviews. People are out for blood.”
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Belichick released a statement on April 30 following the criticism from his CBS interview. The Tar Heels head coach said the “expectation” he had going into the interview “was not honored” and “unrelated topics were introduced” without him knowing ahead of time. “I repeatedly expressed to the reporter, Tony Dokoupil, and the producers that I preferred to keep the conversation centered on the book. After this occurred several times, Jordon, with whom I share both a personal and professional relationship, stepped in to reiterate that point to help refocus the discussion,” Belichick said.
“She was not deflecting any specific question or topic but simply doing her job to ensure the interview stayed on track,” his statement continued. “Some of the clips make it appear as though we were avoiding the question of how we met, but we have been open about the fact that Jordon and I met on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021.”
In response, CBS said in a statement that they had not agreed on any off-limit topics prior to the interview.
“When we agreed to speak with Mr. Belichick, it was for a wide-ranging interview,” the network said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “There were no preconditions or limitations to this conversation. This was confirmed repeatedly with his publisher before the interview took place and after it was completed.”
