My sports betting career may be over but you can still learn from one of its core principles: don’t bet on winners, bet against losers. The concept is very simple but enriching. In theory, losers are going to surprise you less, and give you better odds of being right. Reason being, they suck and you know it. As opposed to a good team (who doesn’t suck), when the bad teams suck again, it is not going to surprise you.
While this does rely on your knowledge of a losing team and the conditions around the team’s form, it helps to see the signs of losing coming. For example, usually off field issues bleed into the locker room. One of the key ways a team can handle that is stability or comradery. However, when you have increasingly unstable characters, who are all relationally new to each other, at a program that has been floundering in arguably the worst remaining conference of the Power 4… it could be considered a perfect storm for losing.
Bill Belichick has completed his millionaire republican arc and is dating someone who could be his grand-daughter (Bill’s daughter is 41). He has jumped ship from the NFL as well, moving to the ever so relaxing college football landscape. At 73 years old, Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick is trying to save the North Carolina Tarheels football program (what a sentence). At 24 years old, Jordon Hudson is not only Belichick’s girlfriend, but his publicist. Hudson has made negotiations on TV deals that got the TV deal canceled.1 She has also halted an interview with Belichick to prevent him from answering a question.2 UNC had to publicly clarify about how “welcome” Jordon is in UNC facilities.3
Some people are making this about “women being controlling” or some other misogynistic bullshit. In reality, this is multi-faceted and troubling. First, as I joked earlier, you can bet on the Under 7.5 regular season wins for UNC. UNC is paying Bill, $10 million this year. Despite Bill being the same age as their previous coach Mack Brown, and it is his first time coaching in college football. I cannot emphasize enough, how fast a college football team can derail. They open with TCU at home. A team that went 9-4 last season. UNC lost its leading pass rusher in the portal, and went 6-7 last season. This is not Belichick taking over some prestigious team, loaded with talent, ready to win now. In fact, he needs to build something and right the ship. Which is daunting in any sport, but takes real commitment and energy in Power 4 college football. An unhealthy obsession with winning and a manic work ethic. Recruiting is constant, it is Free Agency every day. Every decision is hyper fixated on, and every game matters more because you are not “winning a division” and getting in. You have to “impress the committee” each week in relation to teams you do not play.
UNC will have two chances to impress said committee this season. Their very first game against TCU and their home game against Clemson. Any other game that they lose this season would subsequently see them eliminated from the playoffs. Which, when paying a coach $10 million, would probably be the goal for the season’s result.
Second, put the on-field football aside right (cause that’s boring) this is just wild as a career move for him. He does not need to coach ever again. You could say “he loves the grind and misses coaching” but like c’mon man. He is over Seventy years old; he misses the grind of his eyelids. This is not even a “return” at all. It is not a Pete Carroll situation either. It’s a unique and frankly stupid decision to chase a legacy that he does not need. Currently, Bill Belichick is remembered as one of the best football coaches of all time. He is most people’s best NFL coach but if not, definitely on their “Mount Rushmore” of NFL coaches. Bill is trying to be compared to a small list of people. One of whom, he has had the pleasure of beating in a Super Bowl. Why do this?
I’ll tell you why: vanity and greed. If you were playing a game show, and the host said to you: “only one option out of these furthers your position in this game. Every other one sees you losing. You can try for it or walk away with everything you have now.” You would, rightfully, walk away. This is the situation Bill finds himself in. You need a national championship to further your legacy. Playoff wins, and making the playoffs are nothing compared to a Super Bowl win. It is a sicko’s quest. A quest that is seemingly unnecessary, especially in the latter parts of life. It stands to only ruin a stellar on-field reputation. Can you imagine Dabo Swinney hanging 60 points on Bill Belichick? It would make me sick, but it would be deserved. This is an exercise of pure hubris and arrogance.
Finally, Jordon Hudson. She is not the problem. Bill Belichick went looking and he found. As the saying goes,
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes
If you want to criticize someone in this relationship it should be Bill Belichick. Bill knows what he is doing. He is benefitting from misogyny in the media coverage of her. He is allowing her to be a scapegoat for his wild decision to date someone who did not have sentience for his first Super Bowl. It is disgusting. It is all too common that we turn our attention to women in this situation. It’s frustrating to think that you all are concerned for Bill’s well-being because of her influence. The call is coming from inside the Bill house, not the Jordon house. Jordon is “replaceable” in a sense. She could be anyone. Bill is a man of power and legacy. It is not a level playing field, it makes sense that she is acting to protect herself or exercise control. He could leave her whenever and this all ends. She is running for Miss Maine and Miss USA so it helps her career to be associated with him. Thus, she needs to stabilize her position as someone who is not replaceable. This will never be permanent for her (cause he is going to die before she’s 35) but she needs to prevent an unexpected exit. Her angle, makes sense. Her decision making and actions make sense for her position in all of this.
Take it from Bill’s angle. You “meet a 19-year-old on a plane” and you have such a passionate connection that you start dating.
A brief aside, I have spent way too much time thinking about what Bill could be talking to her about in this scenario. So here are some of those cold opens:
- Do you play Roblox? My grandson plays that.
- Do you still use chalkboards in school?
- Are you old enough to drink? Ah that sucks, the drinking age used to be 18! Don’t worry, I know the owner of this plane. (implying they were on the team plane)
For brevity’s sake I am moving on…
After you meet this 19-year-old, what do you do to further your relationship? What do these two realistically talk about? Again, that’s not her fault. Historically speaking, we do not know Bill to be a man of many words. Also, in the underlying power dynamic at play, if he is showing interest in her, the only reason she would date him is for money. It is times like this where I am reminded of this disgusting graph:4
It is absolutely ridiculous that people are overlooking this aspect of this story, to bash a woman instead of asking the larger, albeit more uncomfortable questions towards Bill. A true testament to the casual acceptance of misogyny in our society. Could they be madly in love? Doubtful. Could he be using her just like she is using him? Oh, most certainly.
Which is why I want to write this article. If you have spent any of your precious time on this Earth being mad at Jordon Hudson for “ruining Bill’s legacy”, then stop. Bill will ruin his legacy perfectly fine on his own. Her presence is arbitrary and merely indicative of a personal slide we have seen for a long time while he was at New England.
This whole debacle is not about football, but it is. In my humblest opinion, the defensive minded Bill Belichick, should and could have won many more Super Bowls in Brady’s prime.
Context Dump: From 2001 to 2019 (Brady years) they won the division 17 times. The Patriots finished those seasons in the Conference Championship, or in the Super Bowl 12 times. With Bill and Brady, the Patriots finished with less than 10 wins in one season: 2002. Bill Belichick was coach of the Patriots from 2000 to 2023. There are 5 seasons where Bill was coach and Brady was not the starter: 2000, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. In the 5 seasons without Brady starting, Bill made the playoffs a single time (2021) and got smacked by the Buffalo Bills (47-17). In those seasons, Bill also only finished with a single winning record (2021) and 2 seasons with a positive point differential (2022 and 2021). In those 5 seasons, Bill had one 1000-yard rusher, Rhamondre Stevenson in 2022 (1040 yards), who he proceeded to give a split backfield to in 2023. Bill had zero 1000-yard receivers in those 5 seasons. The history of the Pats.5
Make no mistake, Bill should be given his flowers for his scheming on defense but we must acknowledge how he repeatedly and habitually neglected his offense. Bill is often praised as one of the best defensive scouts in the NFL, I’d agree. As long as you are willing to admit that no one should have ever drafted N’keal Harry in the last pick of the 1st round of the 2019 draft.6
The next two WRs drafted were Deebo Samuel (36th pick) and AJ Brown (51st pick) by the way…
Bill Belichick has had a level of control over an NFL team that you only see in video games. Yet, he continually neglected his best player’s needs in Free Agency and the Draft. Forcing the Patriots to rely on players who would be a third or fourth option on other teams. We saw this on display when Brady got Randy Moss. When Brady had Gronk. Banner players that took the Patriots from good to excellent instantly.
But Brady won his second Super Bowl with Deion Branch leading the team with 800-yards receiving, he can do it again!
They did not openly have spats in the media but again, open your eyes. There was the time Bill benched Malcolm Butler in the Super Bowl (with no explanation). Literally cost your entire team a Super Bowl, to stick it to someone else? Does that strike you as greatness? There are now confirmed rumors that Bill and Tom were not speaking 1 on 1 anymore by the time Tom left. Bill’s inflated ego and his established hostile coaching style led to that. Bill Belichick will forever be the reason, that Tom Brady’s last Super Bowl was with Tampa Bay.
Bill wants to be known as the greatest. He does not want anyone to think Tom could have done it without him. That is sad and pathetic. He should have retired in 2022 when the Patriots won 3 of their last 8 games. He could have retired in 2019 when Brady was leaving and the Patriots had lost to the Titans in the Wild Card. He could have stayed retired when he left New England.
Yet here we are, Bill chasing an impossible goal at 73, while he dates someone who could not legally drink when he met her. I think the on-field damage to Bill’s reputation had been done before he left the NFL. Those last seasons were painful to watch. He is further driving the nail into the coffin by going on this misadventure with UNC. To call it disgusting, would be an understatement. However, I feel about it, will not stop powerful men like him, from preying on young women. I can only root against him. As I encourage you to do! I can only tell you, dear reader, how wrong I think it is.
I think it is abhorrent if that was not clear.
Finally, I can show you, that greatness is subjective. It is nuanced and changes with time. I can guarantee, there is a kid in 20 years telling their parents, “Bill Belichick can’t cut it in today’s era” and the kid would be right. Your greatness is relative to your performance and demeanor. Speaking frankly, Bill has never had “aura” or charisma. His performances without greatness around him (by his design), were lackluster and uninspiring. His future in football will be marred by further controversies. Via the field and his personal life. Welcome to college football Bill, make sure you hit up Joey Freshwater before you leave.
Sources:
2 – https://youtu.be/pSvQq6cnw8I?si=Le3A5a11rjlSnvXG
3 – https://youtu.be/j8yxssRwzpw?si=G8uY6HCXi4QgvtuY
4 – https://www.businessinsider.com/dataclysm-shows-men-are-attracted-to-women-in-their-20s-2014-10
5 – https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nwe/index.htm
6 – https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2019/draft.htm
Leave a Reply