Earlier this offseason, reports emerged that Bill Belichick and the University of North Carolina football team were set to be featured on Hard Knocks, after NFL Films struggled to find a willing NFL team. However, less than a week later, the plan was scrapped as the two parties couldn’t come to terms.
Shortly afterward, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that the deal was blocked because NFL owners were upset about Belichick being spotlighted on an NFL-affiliated platform while coaching at the college level. Then, a report from The Athletic suggested that Belichick’s girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, contributed to the breakdown of the deal by wanting to be heavily involved in the production.
Belichick appeared to refute those reports during an interview on The Pivot Podcast, offering a different explanation for why UNC won’t be on Hard Knocks.
“Just to be clear, Hard Knocks is about training camp,” Belichick told Ryan Clark. “And we’re not a training camp team. That’s not what we’re doing. The show is built around the drama of roster cuts and preseason battles — that doesn’t apply to us. There were also some film-related issues, but even if those were resolved, it still wouldn’t be a fit. That’s really the bottom line.”
Belichick also addressed Hudson’s involvement, explaining that she has no official role with the UNC program. Instead, she assists him in managing personal requests—like autograph signings, speaking events, and other opportunities—since there isn’t a designated sports information person handling those matters.
With UNC no longer participating in Hard Knocks, fans will get their first real glimpse of the Tar Heels under Belichick when they kick off the season on September 1 against TCU.
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