At 72 years old and out of the NFL, Bill Belichick makes presence known at the Super Bowl

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — At 72 years old and out of the NFL, Bill Belichick still stole the show during Super Bowl week.

What's the former Patriots coach wearing on the red carpet?

Try all of his Super Bowl rings.

He was the the Bill of the ball at the NFL Honors, where Belichick not only flashed and flexed the gaudy bling earned from winning more Super Bowls over his vaunted career than any other coach in history, but earned a kindly roasting at the awards show — social media was less kind — for walking arm-in-arm with 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson.

Belichick even dumped his trademark hoodie for a burgundy sports coat while Hudson stunned in a silver sequin dress.

Stories about Belichick pop up these days about as often on TMZ as they do involving the NFL, or even his new gig as head coach at North Carolina. Hudson turned heads when she appeared to also sport one of Belichick's Super Bowl rings — but on THAT finger — that even fueled engagement rumors on social media and other publications. The Daily Mail posted photos of Hudson “ flaunting a stunning sparkler ” at a charity event Wednesday in New Orleans.

Hang tight, paparazzi.

Hudson posted on Instagram that the ring she wore at Honors was a Bridgewater State University Bearcats National Cheerleaders Association Collegiate Championship ring.

Not even Tom Brady has one of those.

Like any young couple — well, OK, any couple with one young person in it — they were spotted after the show hitting Bourbon Street bars looking for a good time.

The grumpy coach who couldn't be bothered in New England with any meaningful quotes and conversation with reporters has turned into a bit of a media darling since his split with the Patriots. He clowns around and offers insights on “The Pat McAfee Show” and even hosted a pair of podcasts. He even appeared on the NFL Network on Thursday night — where he refused to pick a Super Bowl winner between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.

“He's changed in a good way. I like it,” retired Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski told The Associated Press. “I like it big time. How he's been representing. How's he swaggy. How he's been in a new world, not coaching in the NFL. He's been spectacular. Everyone loves him now.”

Belichick, who won six Super Bowls as head coach at New England and two more as an assistant with the New York Giants, even seems to have a sense of humor about himself, at least when it comes to his relationship with Hudson.

Honors host and rapper Snoop Dogg poked fun at the age gap between Belichick and Hudson during his monologue, joking he remembered the old days of the NFL when the Cowboys were good, the Chiefs were bad, “and I remember, what was it, Bill Belichick's girlfriend wasn't even born yet.”

Belichick and Hudson politely laughed at the joke while the crowd “awwwed” at the punchline.

On social media, the jokes flew faster than a Saquon Barkley 60-yard touchdown run.

One person posted a picture of the two at the awards show and wrote, “You can make fun of Bill Belichick all you want, but I think it’s really nice that he took his girlfriend to the NFL Awards even if it is a school night.” Another posted a photo collage that included Napster and “Toy Story 2,” and wrote, “All of these things are older than Bill Belichick’s girlfriend. ”

Date nights might be harder to come by once Belichick goes back to college.

Belichick signed a five-year deal with North Carolina in December that pays him $10 million in base and supplemental salary per year — though it is guaranteed only for the first three years, including for buyout purposes — and there is also up to $3.5 million in annual bonuses.

That's enough scratch to buy all the rings Hudson could want to slip on — just like her boyfriend — all her fingers.

AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.

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Former NFL head coach Bill Belichick and girlfriend Jordon Hudson, pose on the red carpet at the NFL Honors award show ahead of the Super Bowl 59 football game, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Coach Bill Belichick hugs and presents the AP Coach of the year award to Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell during the NFL Honors award show ahead of the Super Bowl 59 football game, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Coaches Deion Sanders, left, and Bill Belichick, right present the Coach of the year award during the NFL Honors award show ahead of the Super Bowl 59 football game, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Former NFL head coach Bill Belichick walks the red carpet at the NFL Honors award show ahead of the Super Bowl 59 football game, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Former NFL head coach Bill Belichick shows his Super Bowl rings as he walks the red carpet at the NFL Honors award show ahead of the Super Bowl 59 football game, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Former NFL head coach Bill Belichick and girlfriend Jordon Hudson, pose on the red carpet at the NFL Honors award show ahead of the Super Bowl 59 football game, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

CAIRO (AP) — The White House released the names of some of the leaders who will play a role in overseeing next steps in Gaza after the Palestinian committee set to govern the territory under U.S. supervision met for the first time Friday in Cairo.

The committee's leader, Ali Shaath, an engineer and former Palestinian Authority official from Gaza, pledged to get to work quickly to improve conditions. He expects reconstruction and recovery to take about three years and plans to focus first on immediate needs, including shelter.

“The Palestinian people were looking forward to this committee, its establishment and its work to rescue them,” Shaath said after the meeting, in a television interview with Egypt’s state-owned Al-Qahera News.

U.S. President Donald Trump supports the group's efforts to govern Gaza after the two-year war between Israel and Hamas. Israeli troops withdrew from parts of Gaza after the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, while thousands of displaced Palestinians have returned to what is left of their homes.

Now, there will be a number of huge challenges going forward, including the deployment of an international security force to supervise the ceasefire deal and the difficult process of disarming Hamas.

Under Trump's plan, Shaath's technocratic committee will run day-to-day affairs in Gaza under the oversight of a Trump-led “Board of Peace,” whose members have not yet been named.

The White House said an executive board will work to carry out the vision of the Board of Peace.

The executive board’s members include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and Trump’s deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel.

Nickolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and U.N. Mideast envoy, is to serve as the executive board’s representative overseeing day-to-day matters.

The White House also announced the members of another board, the “Gaza Executive Board,” which will work with Mladenov, the technocratic committee and the international stabilization force.

Witkoff, Kushner, Blair, Rowan and Mladenov will also sit on that board. Additional members include: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan; Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi; Hassan Rashad, director of Egypt’s General Intelligence Agency; Emirati minister Reem Al-Hashimy; Israeli businessman Yakir Gabay; and Sigrid Kaag, the Netherlands’ former deputy prime minister and a Mideast expert.

In the West Bank, friends and relatives gathered Friday to mourn the death of a 14-year-old Palestinian boy killed by Israeli forces.

The Palestinian Health Ministry, which confirmed his death, said Mohammad Na’san was the first child killed by the army in the occupied West Bank in 2026.

Residents said Israeli forces fired stun grenades and tear gas in an unprovoked attack. Israel’s military said in a statement that the incursion came after Palestinians had hurled rocks at Israelis and set tires aflame.

“There was gunfire directed at citizens and farmers, the most dangerous of which occurred during the storming of the village as people were leaving the mosques. The streets were crowded with the elderly, children, women, and elders, and they began firing relentlessly,” said Ameen Abu Aliya, head of the Al-Mughayyir village council.

The death was the latest episode of violence to hit al-Mughayyir, a village east of Ramallah that has become a flashpoint in the West Bank. Much of the community’s agricultural land falls under Israeli military control.

Early this year, settlers and Israeli military bulldozers destroyed olive groves in the area, saying they were searching for Palestinian gunmen. A children’s park in al-Mughayyir was also demolished.

In 2025, 240 Palestinians — including 55 children — were killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank, while Palestinians killed 17 Israelis — including one child — in the region, according to the United Nations.

Meanwhile, two children were killed Friday in Gaza, a 7-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy. They were killed in Beith Lahiya, near the Yellow Line, and their bodies taken to al-Shifa Hospital, the hospital said. No further details were immediately available.

Price reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Jalal Bwaitel and Imed Isseid contributed to this report from Ramallah, Wafaa Shurafa from Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Matthew Lee from Washington.

A Palestinian inspects the rubble of the al-Hawli family home, destroyed in an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians inspect the rubble of the al-Hawli family home, destroyed in an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Children walk over a pile of garbage at a makeshift tent camp for displaced Palestinians on a beach in Deir al-Balah, in the Gaza Strip Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)