Any hype for a Hard Knocks offseason special featuring Bill Belichick and the University of North Carolina died quickly this week. After reports emerged last week that Belichick was in discussion with NFL Films to bring the offseason version of Hard Knocks to a college campus, Tuesday brought news that the deal had fallen through.
While there are any number of complications that may have arisen when planning out a college version of the hit show, Pro Football Talk‘s Mike Florio reports at least part of the reason it got spiked was because NFL owners were not pleased with the concept.
“Tuesday’s statement from NFL Media regarding the failure of NFL Films and North Carolina to reach an agreement regarding offseason Hard Knocks comes a day after rumors began to spread that the deal was off, due in part to the fact (and it is indeed a fact) that multiple owners weren’t happy about Belichick getting an NFL Films platform,” Florio wrote.
The insider had previously reported “some owners aren’t thrilled with the decision to feature Belichick on an NFL-owned platform.” Which probably shouldn’t be surprising to hear.
Belichick is an NFL legend and a documentary series profiling how he goes about his business in the college realm would make for tremendous content. But it doesn’t really make sense for NFL Films to be the company to produce it. The connection between the NFL and UNC is tangential at best and at its core Hard Knocks is supposed to be about peeking behind the curtain of pro football. That’s what the owners fund NFL Films for.
What could have been.
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