Most of the time, leaving a recreational sports team does not mean sending everyone involved an emotional letter explaining that you’ve begun to lose your identity because of the very public relationship you’ve struck up with a famous old man. That is just one of the many ways in which Jordon Hudson is a maverick and pioneer. On Tuesday, the Washington Post published a report about Hudson and her relationship with former Patriots coach Bill Belichick, which included the entirety of a letter sent by Hudson to her all-adults Massachusetts cheer squad, BlackOut, this past December, announcing her departure from the team.
Hudson opened the letter with a mantra seemingly borrowed from Belichick, who in turn has said he learned it during his time at the Naval Academy: “In my office and in my household, we uphold the philosophy of ‘Team; Teammate; Self,’” she wrote. Hudson went on to say she understood that some of her teammates might have felt that, lately, she’d been “selfishly putting my needs above the needs of the team.” She explained that this was only partly true and that she had actually been putting the needs of her other “team(s)” above her own “needs for recreation” (i.e., cheerleading).
“With that being said, it is important to me that you all hear ‘the news’ from me directly,” Hudson wrote before announcing that because of her “inability to prioritize” this particular team, she would be withdrawing from the roster. (Interestingly, Hudson’s use of scare quotes is very similar to how Belichick used them in an email she shared on Instagram.) She also apologized for “all of the ‘baggage’ that comes with having me around; from the interlopers at practice, to the subsequent media exploitation, to the lack of dependability.”
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“During this time,” Hudson went on, “I have faced a slow, exterior erasure of my strong, individual identity. I can’t thank you [enough] for helping keep that in tact by embracing me, for me. It is so difficult for me to give up my time with you, because I feel like I am giving up a part of myself in the process.” She added that she hopes the team finds a flyer — that’s the cheerleader who gets tossed in the air, and presumably Hudson’s position on the team — with fewer scheduling issues.
Well, that is a huge bummer. Nevertheless, Hudson barely had any time to process the loss of her individuality before moving on to her next gig. Just two days after she sent her letter, Belichick told his staff at UNC to include Hudson on all emails, and she’s been the busiest woman in America ever since.
