HBO pulled out of Hard Knocks over Jordon Hudson, refuting Belichick claim

Bill Belichick claims his girlfriend had nothing to do with North Carolina not being featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” program this offseason, but a new report claims otherwise.

A list of creative and production demands brought to NFL Films by Jordon Hudson, the Carolina head coach’s girlfriend, resulted in NFL Films backing out of the series, according to The New York Times.

Everything appeared to be on track for “Hard Knocks” to showcase Belichick’s effort in building the UNC football team this preseason, but just days before the series was expected to be announced, the coach’s girlfriend reportedly entered the process.

Hudson demanded that she be given content approval and “partial ownership of the show,” according to the report.

That explanation challenges what Belichick said about why North Carolina wouldn’t be featured on the show.

“Hard Knocks is training camp, and we’re not training camp, we’re just not,” Belichick said on The Pivot podcast.

“That’s not what we are. The drama of training camp, who’s a cut and all that. We’re a season, and they don’t want that. Yeah, there are film issues, too, but forget about the film issues. Just say you could straighten all those out, Hard Knocks just didn’t fit for us.”

Hudson was also in talks with a different production company to create a similar series around the North Carolina football team, according to the Times report.

Belichick has stated that Hudson, who he called his “idea mill and creative muse” in his new book, plays no role with the UNC football program.

Still, there has been intense interest in Belichick’s relationship with Hudson and the dynamic between the 73-year-old coach and his 24-year-old girlfriend.

It follows growing scrutiny around Hudson’s influence over Belichick in her role as his perceived publicist and handler, and the negative perceptions it has sometimes brought the North Carolina football program this offseason.

(NYT)

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