Charles Barkley said he is “concerned” for his pal Bill Belichick after the coach’s girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, hijacked his CBS interview.
During an appearance on the “Dan Patrick Show” on Wednesday, the former NBA star said he was confused about what was going on with the ex-NFL head coach and his much younger girlfriend.
“I’m not sure what’s going on. He’s been a great friend for me for a long time. We’ve been great friends since he coached for the Browns,” he said.
“I think he’s got to be very careful right now. This is starting to be on a very slippery slope. He’s the greatest football coach ever. Him and [former University of Alabama coach] Nick Saban. For college, Nick Saban. For Bill, the NFL,” Barkley, 62, added.
The TNT sports analyst said though he never talks about “people’s personal relationships,” he is “a little concerned with some of the stuff that’s going on.”
“I might actually reach out to him to make sure everything’s good, but I am concerned from what I’m hearing,” the former Houston Rockets star confessed.
“It’s not a good look, right, I’ll admit that.”
Barkley’s comments come days after Hudson, 24, received backlash for interrupting Belichick, 73, during his “CBS Sunday Morning” interview.
During the conversation, journalist Tony Dokoupil asked the eight-time Super Bowl champion coach how he and the former cheerleader met.
“We’re not talking about this,” she interjected while sitting nearby off-camera.
In a voiceover, Dokoupil explained that Hudson was a “constant presence” throughout his chat with Belichick.
The former Newsweek writer shared that the couple did not feel “comfortable” discussing their romance.
The interview garnered backlash from several stars, including Dave Portnoy, who said it was the “most awkward Bill Belichick interview I’ve ever seen,” and Piers Morgan, who added that Belichick’s interview was “utterly excruciating.”
Belichick’s daughter-in-law Jennifer Schmitt slammed Hudson after reports surfaced that she “stormed” off the CBS set.
“Publicists act in a professional manner and don’t ‘storm’ off set delaying an interview,” Schmitt, who is married to the “University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill” head coach’s oldest son, Stephen “Steve” Belichick, wrote.
In response to the criticism, Hudson reactivated her X account to reshare posts from fans defending her intrusive behavior.
One tweet she reposted read, “I see a woman who cares about her man and doesn’t want him to be screwed around by the media.”
Belichick also defended his girlfriend, saying in a statement obtained by Page Six that he agreed to “focus solely on the contents” of his new book, “The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football,” for the interview.
He claimed that after Dokoupil asked about “unrelated topics” several times, Hudson jumped in to “reiterate that point to help refocus the discussion.”
Hudson and Belichick exchanged numbers when they met on a flight in 2021 after he autographed her textbook.
The Bridgewater State University graduate and the eight-time Super Bowl champ were spotted together for the first time in January 2023.
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