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Mary Kay Cabot roasts Bill Belichick, Jordon Hudson during Hall of Fame speech

Chandler Vesselsby: Chandler Vessels08/02/25ChandlerVessels
bill belichick jordon hudson
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Mary Kay Cabot couldn’t resist the chance to take a shot at Bill Belichick during her speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Gold Jacket Dinner on Friday. The longtime Browns reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer was accepting the Bill Nunn Memorial award for her coverage, and threw in a playful jab at the legendary coach.

Cabot began by talking about how Belichick was her introduction to covering the Browns beat, and how that experience helped her to grow thick skin. She remembered the coach giving her phone calls to let her know if he didn’t like an article and giving her a hard time when she asked “dumb” questions.

But at the end of that story, she delivered a one-liner that seemed to make reference to the age gap between Belichick, 73, and his current girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, 24. It drew raucous laughter and applause from the crowd.

“But now, I totally understand why Bill gave me such a hard time,” she said. “I was 28 at the time, and he just couldn’t relate to a woman that old.”

The relationship between Belichick and Hudson made a lot of headlines this offseason with the coach accepting the job at North Carolina. It will mark the first time he has coached college football after more than four decades in the NFL, including winning six Super Bowls as the head coach of the New England Patriots.

Cabot isn’t the first person to make a joke on the age gap between Belichick and Hudson. Comedian Shane Gillis also had a few jabs during his monologue at the ESPYs, while Saturday Night Live even mentioned it in a segment.

Now Cabot is the latest to get in on the fun, and she likely won’t be the last. As for Belichick, he is a little less than a month away from making his debut as a college coach when North Carolina opens the seasons against TCU on Sept. 1

Charles Barkley makes plea to Bill Belichick, Jordon Hudson amid backlash over relationship

Charles Barkley made a plea to Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson amid backlash over their relationship. Belichick is set to begin Year 1 as head coach of North Carolina, but the offseason was certainly noisy with Hudson’s influence over Belichick’s media tour for promoting his new book.

Hudson interjected during a “CBS This Morning” interview, had alleged control over saying no to HBO’s Hard Knocks and much more. Belichick has since stated Hudson, despite their personal and professional relationship, doesn’t have an official role with the football program.

In recent months, it’s been quiet when it comes to the drama. And Barkley, who’s a good friend of the coach, wants to keep it that way.

“She needs to stand down,” Barkley said. “I struggle whether to call coach, and I prefer to stay out of people’s personal (business), but she’s got to stand down. Because you got to understand something. They’re using her to get to Bill and she has to understand that because people don’t like Bill, and he deserves some blame for that, because the way he treated the media. Now, the way it ended in New England, they want to get him back. 

“So they’re using her to get to him. I just hope he’s successful, because he’s a great dude. He’s the greatest pro football coach ever, because Coach Saban is the greatest college coach ever. I want to see him finish on a high note, that’s my number one concern. I want to see him finish on a high note.”

On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this report.