Legendary football coach Bill Belichick, 73, said his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, was just doing her job when she abruptly ended an interview with “CBS Sunday Morning” after questions got too personal about their unconventional relationship.

The gridiron great found himself at the center of a firestorm after Ms. Hudson, who was sitting nearby, dramatically interrupted the interview after reporter Tony Dokoupil inquired how they met. “We’re not talking about this,” Ms. Hudson said. The explosive moment was captured on video and became viral across social media.

In a statement issued by the University of North Carolina, where he serves as the head football coach, Mr. Belichick defended his girlfriend by trying to clarify what took place during the interview session intended to promote his book, “The Art of Winning – Lessons from My Life In Football.”

In his statement three days after the airing of the interview, Mr. Belichick accused CBS of “selective editing” and added that Ms. Hudson was “simply doing her job” in attempting to keep the interview on track and not acting like an overzealous gatekeeper.

“Prior to this interview, I clearly communicated with my publicist at Simon & Schuster that any promotional interviews I participated in would agree to focus solely on the contents of the book,” the statement read. “Unfortunately, that expectation was not honored during the interview. I was surprised when unrelated topics were introduced, and I repeatedly expressed to the reporter, Tony Dokoupil, and the producers that I preferred to keep the conversation centered on the book. After this occurred several times, Jordon, with whom I share both a personal and professional relationship, stepped in to reiterate that point to help refocus the discussion.”

Mr. Belichick also accused CBS of selective editing, saying clips of the interview suggested the couple was avoiding a question about how they met. “We have been open about the fact that Jordon and I met on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021,” the statement said, adding, “The final eight-minute segment does not reflect the productive 35-minute conversation we had, which covered a wide range of topics related to my career. Instead, it presents selectively edited clips and stills from just a few minutes of the interview to suggest a false narrative—that Jordon was attempting to control the conversation, which is simply not true.”

Mr. Belichick was barely cooperative with the media during a 24-year career as the head coach of the New England Patriots despite winning six of nine Super Bowl appearances. Fired after the 2023 season, the grumpy coach transformed into a media personality in 2024, making frequent appearances on multiple platforms to share his football expertise.

Mr. Belichick’s relationship with Ms. Hudson became public last year and was supported by several ex-players.  During his podcast with former tight end Rob Gronkowski, former wide receiver Julian Edelman said Ms. Hudson has taken a public relations role in Mr. Belichick’s career, and acted “just like any PR person would jump in when there’s an unnecessary question.”

CBS is standing its ground. A spokesman for the network said there were no preconditions to what was pitched as a “wide-ranging” interview.