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Bill Belichick, UNC will reportedly no longer appear on ‘Hard Knocks’
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Bill Belichick and North Carolina were expected to appear on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” this year. Unfortunately, that will no longer take place, according to reports from Tuesday morning.
Originally, it was reported that Belichick’s first college job with the Tar Heels would be featured after Hard Knocks was unable to find a willing NFL partner. It would have been the first instance of a college program featured.
However, NFL insider Jonathan Jones with CBS Sports reported on Tuesday that the plan for UNC to appear is no longer going to happen. Jones reported that talks between the Tar Heels and NFL Media broke down, according to a statement from a spokesperson.
“NFL Films had discussions with Coach Belichick and UNC about appearing on Hard Knocks this offseason but couldn’t reach an agreement,” a spokesperson for NFL Media, which includes NFL Films, told CBS Sports on Tuesday.
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According to Jones’s report, creative control over the endeavor was the center of both sides’ inability to strike a deal. He also indicated it is unlikely, given the timing and that UNC was being considered, that any NFL team is featured in the offseason version of “Hard Knocks.”
It is still believed, according to Jones’s sources, that UNC has a desire to do some sort of all-access series, but there are some questions as to why the Tar Heels would not want the prestige of HBO’s long-running series, particularly with Belichick’s previous experience.
For now, fans will just have to wait to find out what the future holds for Belichick’s time in college with spring practices set to begin this week.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
