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North Carolina fully expected the hiring of NFL coaching legend Bill Belichick to put a spotlight on its football program.

The fact that the coach’s girlfriend has grabbed much of that spotlight has not dampened the school’s enthusiasm, however. After all, there’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?

“We wanted when we hired Coach Belichick, to bring Carolina football to another level,” UNC chancellor Lee Roberts said Thursday, according to a Charlotte Observer post on X. “… We increased the price of our season tickets and we sold them out. … We’re delighted about all the attention being paid to Carolina football.”

As the 73-year-old Belichick, the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach of the New England Patriots, prepares for his first season in the collegiate ranks, much of the attention instead has gone to his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson.

According to reports, Hudson was perhaps overly involved in a “Hard Knocks” deal that fell through. She also sparked controversy during Belichick’s April appearance on “CBS Sunday Morning” by interrupting the interview over questions about their personal life.

Belichick has defended Hudson and recently insisted that she “doesn’t have anything to do with UNC football.”

North Carolina officials may be delighted by the added attention, but the fans will want to see results on the field.

The Tar Heels open the season against TCU on Sept. 1 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

North Carolina finished 6-7 last season in coach Mack Brown’s final campaign. The Tar Heels lost their bowl game for the fifth straight year.

–Field Level Media