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Jon Gruden blasts UNC for allowing Jordon Hudson on sideline, calls out Mike Lombardi

Stephen Samraby: Steve Samra09/22/25SamraSource
Belichick | Gruden
Belichick (Bob Donnan) | Gruden (Junfu Han)

It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Bill Belichick at North Carolina to start his tenure in the college football world. After his girlfriend Jordon Hudson dominated headlines throughout the offseason, she’s back in the news cycle after the Tar Heels’ latest loss.

After a 33-point loss to UCF to drop UNC to 2-2, Belichick’s behavior on the sidelines was called into question. The coach seemed more interested in talking with Hudson pregame than his own team. That has fans in Chapel Hill wondering what kind of circus they’ve brought into town.

One person who wasn’t a fan of what he saw was former NFL head coach Jon Gruden. He took Belichick, North Carolina and the program’s general manager in Michael Lombardi to task for the spectacle during an appearance on Wake Up Barstool on Monday.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Gruden stated. “You know, Mike Lombardi works for North Carolina. I’ve heard him criticize me several times. I’m sure he’ll produce a TikTok today explaining exactly what was going on there.”

As you can tell, there isn’t much love at the moment between Gruden and Belichick’s UNC program. There hasn’t been much to like for fans in Chapel Hill either. The ex-NFL head coach’s words will certainly resonate.

On the other hand, Greg Olsen also joined the show to give his opinion on the matter. He believes the situation with Belichick is a sign of a larger issue in college sports, but winning would fix everything for the Tar Heels.

“In today’s college world, there’s a lot we’re not used to seeing—who’s on the sideline, who runs programs, who has influence. I don’t think Belichick necessarily cares what anybody thinks. He’s going to do his thing and have whoever he wants on the sideline,” Olsen added. “He obviously values her opinion in a lot of areas. As for me, I don’t really care if a coach’s wife, girlfriend, or kids are on the sideline before, during, or after a game. To each their own.

“At the end of the day, if you’re winning, you can bring your whole family on the sideline—heck, she could wear a headset if they were winning. But when you lose, you bring controversy, you bring eyeballs, and every little thing becomes a big deal.”

North Carolina will have a bye in Week 5, and then return to play in Week 6 against Clemson. The Tigers are reeling, and a game that once had immense hype doesn’t feel as glorious any longer. Still, both teams need a win, and it’ll be fascinating to see who gets the dub between the two programs.