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'Is this real?': The Blue Jays' eye-popping 50/50 lotto is changing lives

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'Is this real?': The Blue Jays' eye-popping 50/50 lotto is changing lives

TORONTO — Thomas can’t remember what he said or heard during a meeting last month.

That’s because only minutes before, he was informed by Sportsnet anchor Evanka Osmak that he had won half a million dollars.

A few days earlier Thomas, who asked to use a pseudonym to preserve his privacy, bought a ticket to the Jays Care 50/50 raffle on a whim after a marketing email landed in his inbox. And then he forgot all about it.

“When you play these things,” he said, “you don’t really anticipate you’re going to win.”

When his phone rang while at work at his IT job on May 13, he nearly rejected the call from a private number. “I’m glad I didn’t,” Thomas said. Instead, he picked up to hear Osmak, the host of Sportsnet Central, inform him that he was the winner of the 50/50 grand prize. She asked if he knew how much he had just won. Thomas responded that he thought $50,000 would be great. “Then she said, ‘Yeah, $50,000 would be great. But it’s actually (CAD) $538,908.’”

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Thomas didn’t have long to process his shock. He had to head into a meeting right afterwards.

“I don’t know what I said. I was clearly talking and answering questions, but my mind was completely elsewhere, just thinking, ‘Is this real? Did that just actually happen?’” said Thomas, who had only entered the 50/50 a handful of times prior.

Over the years, the Toronto Blue Jays’ 50/50 raffle has become known for its eye-popping jackpots and life-changing winnings. The jackpots have caught the eyes of many in baseball, including former Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona, who saw the $82,000 total during the 2016 ALCS and told catcher Mike Napoli, “We gotta get in on that.”

The 50/50 raffle, run by Jays Care Foundation, the charitable arm of the Blue Jays, awards half of the ticket sales to a winner, while the other half goes to charity. It has crowned nine millionaires so far. Already the biggest raffle of its kind in Major League Baseball, it strives to set new records every year.

One of those nine millionaires is a man named Andrew. He had just gotten home from the cardiologist when his phone rang. Thankfully, his heart was in good condition when a representative from Jays Care called.

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When Andrew answered, he was asked if he received a call earlier that day and was told to check his voicemail. When he did, there was a message from Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez. In his unmistakable raspy voice, Martinez informed Andrew that he was the lucky winner of $2.6 million.

“It was quite an amazing moment,” said Andrew, who asked to be identified only by his first name to protect his privacy.

The win came at an especially opportune moment for Andrew, who said he had been dealing with personal challenges.

“It’s been a very sombre last few years, and it was nice to get some extremely good news,” Andrew said. “And this money would help me do a lot of positive things.”


Andrew, above, initially missed the call informing him that he was a 50/50 winner. (Courtesy of Jays Care)

The introduction of online 50/50 ticket sales across Ontario in 2019 helped expand the raffle’s reach. When the pandemic hit in 2020, and the Blue Jays played their games away from the Rogers Centre, Jays Care pivoted from daily draws to homestand jackpots and mega-jackpots, a move that allowed the pots to grow larger and increased the interest. Together, those changes ushered in an era of massive growth with the Jays Care 50/50, producing the top-10 biggest jackpots in MLB history — all since 2019.

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“That’s something we’re extremely proud of,” said Jays Care executive director Robert Witchel. “We want to make our programs the best in class. We want to reach as many kids as possible.”

In 2021, the Jays Care 50/50 recorded $12 million in total tickets sold — with half going to the winners and the other half to the charity. By 2023, total ticket sales were up to $33 million, culminating with an Ontario- and MLB-record jackpot of $5.9 million last September. (Congratulations to Mini from Toronto.)

Already this season, the 50/50 has awarded four grand prize jackpots totaling more than $4.3 million, along with hundreds of early-bird prizes that include signed memorabilia, Blue Jays tickets and smaller cash prizes. Next month’s Canada Day mega-jackpot will award 10 grand prize winners who will evenly split the pot, an idea that came from fan feedback, and will include 157 early-bird prizes to commemorate Canada turning 157 years old.

Part of what makes the Jays Care 50/50 stand out is its ambassadors — the red-shirted, eclectic and cheerful employees stationed throughout the Rogers Centre concourse who sell 50/50 tickets until the final out is made.

The ambassadors’ day typically begins a couple of hours before first pitch. In the minutes before the stadium gates open, they gather in a classroom-sized room tucked inside Gate 3. On this Tuesday evening in May, Kelly Woodman, an event manager with the 50/50 team, begins by going over their sales from the previous evening before instructing them on the sales goals for that night’s game.

Finally, before they hit the concourse, it’s time for their cheer.

“50/50!”
Clap clap clap clap clap
“Sell them tickets!”
Clap clap clap clap clap
“Raise that money!”
Clap clap clap clap clap
“Let’s go!”

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“They come from all different walks of life,” said Woodman. “It became like a really close-knit family. Everybody knows everybody and their spouses and their kids and their grandkids… They’re just really invested in each other, which is nice.”

Once out on the concourse, the ambassadors spread out. There are 60 this season, but on average, 30 to 40 work each game. Each ambassador develops a unique style for attracting customers. Some are loud and vocal: “50/50 tickets! Come support the Jays Care Foundation!” Others, like Tracey Lung, take a more curated approach.

“I’m really good at reading people,” said Lung, who is in her second year of selling. “How they approach me or whether they’re looking down or looking right at me, I know whether or not I’m going to be trying to sell them on a ticket, they’re going to get a ticket or I can upsell them.”

Before a prospective sale, an ambassador will educate the prospective buyer on the charitable initiatives before running down the various ticket options — 5 for $10, 25 for $25, 100 for $50 or 300 for $125, the best deal and best odds.

Anna Cappuccitti, another ambassador, said there’s a key to being an effective seller. “I’m not afraid of rejection,” she said with a laugh.

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In 2023, the ambassadors were responsible for more than $6.7 million in gross ticket sales, a record year. There is friendly competition among the sellers, who track their nightly sales; the ultimate bragging rights belong to whoever sells a jackpot-winning ticket. Cappuccitti has yet to sell a grand prize ticket, but hopes her luck will change.

“People tell me I have this vibe about me, I feel lucky, so they buy from me,” she said. “I always say, ‘Hey, I wish you win. I’ll say a prayer for you.’ I get their names. I write it. I put it in my phone and I’ll say a prayer and they love it.”

No matter their sales tactic, what connects everyone involved in the 50/50 is the cause.

Jays Care is responsible for running programming for marginalized and underprivileged children across Canada, and they’re projected to reach more than 60,000 kids this year. Their programs include initiatives such as Girls At Bat, which is designed to reduce barriers anyone identifying as a girl may face accessing the sport, and Challenger Baseball, an adaptive baseball program for kids living with physical and/or cognitive disabilities to learn the game in a safe and encouraging environment. Jays Care has twice received MLB’s Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence and has been named one of the nation’s top 100 charities by Charity Intelligence Canada, a non-profit charity watchdog.

Ten years ago, the 50/50 contributed about 10 percent of the charity’s overall fundraising. Today, the draws are responsible for nearly half of the funds raised, according to Witchel.

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And there are plans to keep growing. This year, Jays Care expanded online ticket sales to Nova Scotia after the province’s premier attended a Blue Jays game and remarked on how large the prize was.

“I said, ‘Well, would you like to bring that to Nova Scotia?’ And he was all ears,” Witchel said.

There are legal hurdles to clear, but the eventual hope is that the 50/50 will be open across Canada, which will provide more funding for children nationwide.

There is a unique enthusiasm in Canada for 50/50 raffles, engrained deep in the national DNA. Many Canadians grew up participating in their local hockey rink’s 50/50 raffles. Another potential reason? Canadians are not taxed on their 50/50 winnings.

While raising funds for the charity is Jays Care’s main priority, Witchel said informing the lucky winners of their prize is also rewarding. “We definitely have changed lives,” he said.

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Helping people like Andrew and Thomas is a satisfying part of the job for Lung, one of the ticket sellers.

“It’s tough out there. The fact that we can change somebody’s life just by them coming to a game… we’re also helping more kids,” she said. “It’s just this amazing trickle effect.”

Andrew, the jackpot winner from April, has yet to decide what he may want to splurge on — a new set of golf clubs is one idea — but primarily, he’s grateful that he can now prepare better for his retirement.

Thomas, the winner of half a million dollars, isn’t looking to buy a new house or a luxury car. He’s not planning to make an impulse buy. “I wish I had a more entertaining answer for you,” he said when asked what he’d do with the money.

He grew up in Toronto as the son of immigrants. They didn’t have a lot of money, he said, and his parents were careful about their spending. He stressed that he remembers a wonderful childhood, but he strives to give his two children — aged six and nine — more than he had. Beyond using his winnings to invest in their future education and help pay off a mortgage and line of credit, he hopes to spend it on family vacations that will create lasting memories.

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“It gives us that peace of mind going forward,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest thing for me. Since (I won), I just felt a little bit more relaxed. It doesn’t change my job. I’m still motivated the same amount at work and with family life. But that overall comfort and peace of mind is great to have.”

(Top Image: Daniel Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photos: iStock) 

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Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz rips trans participation in women's sports

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Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz rips trans participation in women's sports

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Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz made his stance on transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports very clear on Sunday.

Holtz fired off a post on X on the anniversary of Title IX.

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Lou Holtz, former Notre Dame football coach, addresses the America First Policy Institute’s America First Agenda Summit on July 26, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“I was happy when Title IX came out,” the former Notre Dame coach wrote. “But here we are, many years later, and now we can’t even ensure women competing against women. 

“It’s crazy!”

Title IX was originally published on June 23, 1972. The law prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools and other education programs that receive funding from the federal government.

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“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance,” Title IX stated.

Lou Holtz in 1990

Lou Holtz of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during an NCAA football game. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

TRANSGENDER ATHLETE COMPLAINS ABOUT LACK OF SPORTSMANSHIP FROM FELLOW RUNNERS AFTER WINNING GIRLS STATE TITLE

Recently, the Biden administration unveiled new Title IX rules zeroing in on safeguarding LGBTQ+ students and changing the ways in which sexual harassment and assault claims are adjudicated on campus.

The new rules stopped short on barring transgender athletes from competing against females in women’s sports.

Last week, a U.S. district court in Kentucky ordered the implementation of the Biden administration’s new Title IX protections halted after a West Virginia girl and a Christian Educators Association International sued over a transgender teen competing on a middle school team. The new injunction applies to Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Virginia and West Virginia.

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President Joe Biden

President Biden delivers remarks from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, March 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

A federal judge blocked Biden’s Title IX rule in Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana and Idaho a week prior.

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Plaschke: With the help of Dodgers history, team historian Mark Langill battles brain cancer

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Plaschke: With the help of Dodgers history, team historian Mark Langill battles brain cancer

He was struggling to walk, battling to talk, fighting to think.

But he never forgot the Dodgers. He couldn’t forget the Dodgers.

In the first days following surgery to remove two brain tumors, Dodgers team historian Mark Langill was having trouble recalling everything but the legacy that lives permanently in the deepest blue part of his soul.

“The strangest thing,” Langill said. “Ninety percent of my brain was temporarily affected, but the Dodger part never went away.”

During a walk around the Huntington Hospital hallway, an orderly asked him his room number and, thanks to the Dodgers, he remembered.

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It was Ted Sizemore’s Dodger rookie number, combined with Sizemore’s number when he returned to the Dodgers seven seasons later.

4105

As he continued his recovery, every day melting into the next, nurses would try to keep him alert by writing each new date on a grease board.

Thanks to the Dodgers, he never lost track.

Somebody wrote, May 1, and Langill immediately said, “Brooklyn Robins against the Boston Braves, 26 innings in 1920, longest game in major league history.”

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On May 5 he said, “Russell Martin’s debut in 2006.”

Dodgers historian Mark Langill was rushed to the hospital and had surgery to remove two brain tumors in late April after appearing unsteady at Dodger Stadium. He returned to work last week.

(Brian DeCloux / Spectrum SportsNet LA)

On May 7 he said, “Russell Martin’s first home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in 2006.”

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Nearly two months later, Langill is out of the hospital and fighting to beat brain cancer with the staunchest of allies.

His sword is Dodger memories. His shield is Dodger highlights. He knows more about Dodger history than any living human, and that history is carrying him through the rocky ground where everything else is uncertain.

“All this obscure Dodger stuff stayed in my head,” said Langill, 59. “Whatever they cut out, they didn’t cut that.”

This reliance on Dodger landmarks actually began on April 25, the day he was rushed to the hospital after behaving unsteadily at Dodger Stadium.

As he lay in the speeding ambulance, all he could think about was, it was flag day!

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“Who can forget that?” he said. “April 25, 1976, the most famous play in the history of Dodger Stadium was made by an opposing player, Rick Monday saving the American flag.”

Later that day, while being inserted into the MRI machine, he assured the technicians that he was being calmed by the memory of … Andy Etchebarren?

“The 1966 World Series, he played for the Baltimore Orioles, he was the last man to bat against Sandy Koufax, and…he won the starting job in the spring because Dick Brown had a brain tumor,” Langill explained. “I survived the MRI by playing baseball brain tumor trivia.”

And when he learned that his surgeon would be Dr. Celene Mulholland? He never again forgot that name because, of course, Terry Mulholland pitched for the Dodgers in 2001 and 2002.

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Only Langill, it seems, would remember a celebrated neurosurgeon because of a pitcher who graced the Dodgers with a 1-1 record and 6.60 ERA.

“I can’t help it,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s who I am.”

It’s what he’s been for the last 30 years, a delightful human trove of information that constantly shares with players and fans alike. A former sports writer, Langill began working in the team’s publications department before spending the last 22 years as baseball’s first official team historian, a role which puts him at the forefront of the team’s powerful connection between its present and past.

“Mark can talk about something that happened in 1965 as easily as something that happened yesterday,” said Lon Rosen, Dodgers executive vice president and chief operating officer. “He brings great comfort to everyone because you can ask him anything and he always has the right answer.”

If a former player wants to relive glory days, he calls Langill, who derives joy from assisting Dodgers both famous and anonymous, from the day of their retirement until their death. He has provided memories and memorabilia for many memorial services and even served as an impromptu eulogizer at Willie Davis’ funeral.

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“Mark has always been my number-one asset to continue to understand the greatness of the Dodgers,” said Orel Hershiser, former pitcher and current broadcaster. “He brings another level of expertise and passion with the details he remembers at a moment’s notice.”

If a fan wants to embrace a special memory, they are also directed to Langill, who loves to print out ancient remnants to remind folks of their happiest Dodger moments.

“He is everybody’s brother, father, cousin, a trusted family member who remembers everything and is happy to share this knowledge with everyone,” said Rosen.

In fact, in his last game at Dodger Stadium before falling ill, Langill hosted an 80-year-old woman whose first game was at Ebbets Field in 1954 when Don Newcombe was pitching.

Langill surprised her by printing out the box score from that actual game, handing it to her, then they both basked in her wonder at reliving her childhood.

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“Suddenly she’s 10 years old again and sitting with her grandfather,” Langill recalled. “She said it was raining that day, and she talked about what it was like to be a 10-year-old at her first game and … to actually see her relive all that was priceless.”

A few days later Langill was spinning more great tales for new Dodger employees during a stadium tour when he became unsteady. He ended up at Huntington Hospital, where several days later Mulholland pitched a perfect game in removing two tumors the combined size of a lemon.

Before the surgery, Langill prepared himself by watching a laptop video of Game 2 of the 1974 World Series between the Dodgers and the Oakland Athletics.

“That’s the one game in that series that the Dodgers won, and it was won by my first favorite Dodgers team with my all-time favorite Dodger Jimmy Wynn,” Langill said. “I figured, if I’m going to go out, I’m going to go out my way.”

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He also remembered that it was the World Series where manager Tom Lasorda wore two different cleats because he had two different shoe contracts.

“Those are the little stories that make Dodger history so special,” Langill said.

Eric Karros, left, and Steve Sax throw out to ceremonial first pitch before Game 1 of the 2022 NLDS at Dodger Stadium.

Eric Karros, left, with Steve Sax throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 1 of the 2022 NLDS at Dodger Stadium, considers Mark Langill “the caretaker of Dodger history.”

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

As the surgery approached and it came time to seek peace, Langill kept thinking about Gary Cooper’s quote while portraying Lou Gehrig, “All the arguing in the world can’t change the decision of the umpire.”

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He explained, “Some people in that situation rely on Scripture. I also rely on ‘Pride of the Yankees’.”

Throughout the ordeal, his recovery buoyed by his longtime partner, Patty Hirata, and registered nurse nephew Michael Rayala, Langill quickly bonded with various hospital workers through the Dodgers. He doesn’t remember much about the physical details of his stay, but he remembers discussing Shohei Ohtani with one orderly and then traveling back down memory lane with his first physical therapist.

“Mark has always been my No. 1 asset to continue to understand the greatness of the Dodgers.”

— Orel Hershiser

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“He said his earliest Dodger memory was when he was 4 years old and his mom took him to LAX and I knew exactly what he was talking about,” Langill said. “Oct. 23, 1957, Red Patterson arranged for a pep rally to welcome the team to Los Angeles.”

During his rehabilitation, while initially struggling with everything but his Dodger knowledge, Langill was strengthened by the way it connected him with his uncomfortable surroundings.

“It’s like knowing 100 languages,” he said. “You can talk to anybody at any age if it involves the Dodgers.”

During his many years with the Dodgers, he had made many of those unique connections, his constant outreach making him arguably the franchise’s most important public representative.

There was the longtime Brooklyn Dodgers fan who was on his deathbed and wanted to hear one more Dodger story before he passed. His daughter handed the phone to Langill, who proceeded to take the man on an audio tour of all the Brooklyn Dodger memorabilia spread around the stadium.

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“I told him, ‘We’re here for you,’” Langill recalled.

Then there is his annual reminder to Eric Karros every May 23.

“Happy Stan Belinda Day,” he will tell him because, on that day in 1992, Karros established himself as a future star by hitting a three-run walk-off homer against the Pirates’ Stan Belinda.

You can look it up. Langill’s memory of Dodger history is bulletproof.

“With him, we never need a fact checker,” said Rosen. “He’s right every time.”

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“He’s basically become the caretaker of Dodger history,” said Karros of Langill. “Anything you want to know, he’s your guy.”

Then there was the story of Roy Gleason, a former outfielder who doubled in his only major-league plate appearance for the Dodgers in 1963. After that season Gleason was sent to Vietnam and never played major league baseball again, ending his career with that one at-bat, always wondering if anybody on the Dodgers remembered.

Langill remembered. Langill always remembers. And when he heard that Gleason was feeling disconnected from an organization that indeed had seemingly forgotten him, Langill invited Gleason to Dodger Stadium in the summer of 2003.

Once there, Langill accompanied Gleason to a wall that contains most of the names on the Dodgers’ all-time roster. In a scene that brought both men to the verge of tears, Gleason’s name was there.

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“I was surprised that anyone in the organization even remembered my name,” said Gleason recently. “But Mark took the time to go into the Dodger archives and research my history.”

Later that season, Gleason threw out the first pitch and was surprised with a 1963 World Series ring.

“The best night of my life…a night I will never forget,” said Gleason. ‘And it all happened because of Mark Langill.”

This season Dodger history will have a new entry, a new landmark, a new hero, the date of June 17.

“That’s the anniversary of the first regular season ‘Freeway Series’ game between Dodgers and Angels,” Langill recalled. “Dodgers won on Todd Zeile’s walk-off home run against Troy Percival.”

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Well, yes, but this is about something bigger.

June 17 should be forever known as the day Mark Langill not only recorded Dodger history, but made it.

It is the day he returned to work.

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Bill Belichick's reported girlfriend's 64-year-old ex blasts critics: 'Let them live their lives'

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Bill Belichick's reported girlfriend's 64-year-old ex blasts critics: 'Let them live their lives'

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have competition – but it hasn’t come without criticism.

Last week, it was reported that former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, 72, is dating Jordon Hudson, a 24-year-old cheerleader.

The two have been spotted together since the reports swirled, all but confirming their relationship (as did Rob Gronkowski at the roast of Tom Brady).

Jordon Hudson is rumored to be dating Bill Belichick, who is nearly 50 years older than her. (Instagram)

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But with the age gap has come lots of questions – many of which are unnecessary, says none other than Hudson’s ex-boyfriend, 64-year-old Joshua Zuckerman.

Zuckerman squashed any speculation that Hudson is dating Belichick simply for money and fame.

“She is wise beyond her years, much more than any 20-something I’ve ever met in my life,” Zuckerman told TMZ. “The narrative about her character is not fair to her.”

Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson

Bill Belichick, 72, is reportedly dating 24-year-old Jordon Hudson. (Instagram | Getty Images)

MATTHEW STAFFORD’S WIFE SAYS SHE ‘DATED’ HIS ‘BACKUP’ AT GEORGIA TO MAKE HIM JEALOUS

“I’ve been getting calls left and right from news stations about my relationship with Jordon Hudson. I have been involved with Jordon platonically and romantically and I consider her a good friend. I feel bad that she’s caught up in this whirlwind,” Zuckerman added.

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Zuckerman said he and Hudson “regularly discuss business and shared interest in psychology, philosophy and most important, our love of nature.” It’s rumored that Belichick signed Hudson’s college textbook when they first met, and they initially bonded over similar topics.

But at the end of the day, Zuckerman wants what’s best for Hudson, and that’s for her to live her best life with Belichick.

“To be honest, I wish these internet trolls and paparazzi would leave her alone – and everyone else alone – and let them live their lives.”

Bill Belichick celebrates a Super Bowl

Bill Belichick, head coach of the New England Patriots, during the trophy ceremony for Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium on Feb. 5, 2017, in Houston, Texas.  (Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)

Belichick will be off an NFL sideline for the first time since 1974 after he and the Pats, with whom he won six Super Bowls, parted ways after 24 seasons.

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