Nobody has ever accused Paul Finebaum of biting his tongue. If he has an opinion, for better or worse, he's going to share it. Plenty of coaches have faced rough criticism from Finebaum over the years. Now, it's one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport who has drawn the ire of the legendary sports media personality.
On Friday on First Take, Finebaum sounded off on Bill Belichick and the ongoing drama with his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, as he approaches his first season coaching college football at North Carolina.
"Also, there is Bill Belichick. Anybody heard of this guy?" Finebaum said. "He's only the most famous NFL coach of all-time this side of Vince Lombardi. But lately, he has played second fiddle to his girlfriend. I can't believe Iam actually saying that, but I am. And that is a story that is really intriguing everyone."
In January, North Carolina hired Belichick to replace Mack Brown as the school's football coach. Belichick, perhaps the greatest NFL coach of all time, will now try to find success at the collegiate level. Belichick won six Super Bowls as the head coach of the New England Patriots, but things went downhill in Foxboro after Tom Brady left to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading to a mutual parting of ways following the 2023 season between Belichick and the franchise.
Belichick coaching at North Carolina is one of the most intriguing storylines of the 2025 college football season, but unfortunately for Belichick and the University, the conversation has too often centered around his personal life off the field rather than what he is potentially building in Chapel Hill.
There's been growing concern over Hudson's involvement with the program, stemming from several controversial moments this offseason. There was the awkward CBS Sunday Morning interview that Hudson inserted herself into, followed by her involvement in blowing up HBO's planned Hard Knocks project with the Tar Heels, which would have brought more positive media attention to the program that Belichick is hoping to build.
Jordon Hudson could ultimatey keep Belichick from getting back to the NFL
The expectation since Belichick arrived in Chapel Hill has been that the legendary coach would only coach at North Carolina until another opportunity in the NFL arrived. There's a reason his buyout dropped to $1 million on June 1st, before he has even coached a game in college. The way his contract is set up, he can easily depart if the right opportunity presents itself.
The 73-year-old Belichick is third on the all-time wins list in NFL history, just 26 victories shy of Don Shula's record. It's no secret he covets breaking Shula's record and cementing himself as the greatest coach in the history of the NFL, a legacy that many would argue he has already achieved due to his six Super Bowl wins.
A good season in Chapel Hill could make Belichick intriguing to NFL teams in the next coaching carousel, particularly for franchises looking to take the next step. But all the drama that has followed Belichick this offseason, 100% of which has been directly linked to his 24-year-old girlfriend, could give teams pause when they consider their coaching options to avoid unnecessary drama.