Julian Edelman Says Jordon Hudson 'Becoming a Distraction' for Bill Belichick at UNC

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman believes Bill Belichick should take some of his own old advice when it comes to his relationship with girlfriend Jordon Hudson.

The relationship between Belichick and Hudson has generated national headlines following an interview between the North Carolina head coach and Tony Dokoupil of CBS Mornings, and Edelman was asked about his former Patriots coach during an appearance on Wednesday's episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd (55-second mark).

"The No. 1 thing we used to talk about, all the time, in New England was distractions," Edelman said. "Let's not make distractions. The game is already as hard as it is to prepare for, to play, to coach. 

"And, you know, regardless of what her role is—yeah, I thought he got an unfair public opinion on the whole thing because that happens all the time—... but now that it's gained and snowballed to what it's become right now where we're talking about it three weeks later. It's becoming a distraction. That's what we all think right now. This is becoming a distraction. We gotta practice what we preach here."

The interview with the 73-year-old coach included a number of awkward moments, including when the 24-year-old Hudson shut down a question about how they met and said, "We're not talking about this."

TMZ Sports reported "she stormed out of the room and delayed shooting for 30 minutes" and that there are some at North Carolina who are "concerned about Hudson's influence on Belichick's tenure as the head football coach."

The entire ordeal made so many headlines that Belichick released a statement that said it is a "false narrative" that Hudson controlled the interview. The statement also criticized CBS for asking him questions beyond the book he was promoting.

CBS News responded with its own statement that said they agreed to a "wide-ranging interview" with "no preconditions or limitations."

Hudson's role within the North Carolina football program as a whole is unclear, although Belichick previously asked North Carolina staffers to copy her on emails regarding social media. The Athletic's Matt Baker also reported her "email signature identifies her as the chief operating officer of Belichick Productions."

Edelman's comments about how important it was to Belichick during his New England tenure to limit distractions stand out given the current situation before he has even coached a game yet at North Carolina.

The approach clearly worked with the Patriots considering he won six Super Bowls, but he may be distracted ahead of his first college head-coaching job.