Report: HBO pulled out of Hard Knocks due to Jordon Hudson demands, refuting Bill Belichick story

In February, there were reports that HBO’s beloved television show, Hard Knocks, was going to cover North Carolina and first-year head coach Bill Belichick. However, shortly after the news surfaced, follow-up reports indicated that the deal had fallen through. During an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, Belichick explained why UNC wouldn’t be on the show.

“Hard Knocks is training camp, and we’re not training camp. We’re just not,” Belichick said. “That’s not what we are. The drama of training camp, who’s a cut and all that. Like, 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.”

In each season of Hard Knocks, the show covers an NFL team going through the offseason. The show has never followed a college team’s offseason before. Thus, Belichick’s explanation made sense to many fans wondering what happened.

However, Belichick’s explanation might not be the full story. On Tuesday, The New York Times‘ Katherine Rosman released a report that alleged Bill Belichick’s 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, was largely responsible for Hard Knocks ultimately not visiting Chapel Hill.

“This winter, producers at N.F.L. Films decided that a new season of its sports docuseries, ‘Hard Knocks,’ would focus on Mr. Belichick’s efforts to build the U.N.C. football program ahead of the 2025 season,” Rosman wrote. “HBO agreed to air it.

“But days before they were set to announce the series, Ms. Hudson demanded she be granted content approval and partial ownership of the show, according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized by producers to speak to a reporter. N.F.L. Films pulled the plug.”

Rosman also reported that Hudson was in talks with a different production company, EverWonder, to create a similar series. Despite outside reports that continue to indicate Hudson’s effect on North Carolina football, Belichick has maintained that she isn’t involved in the program.

“Well, nothing with North Carolina, that would be No. 1,” Belichick said of his professional relationship with Hudson. “It would be personal opportunities, could be a speaking thing. It could be an appearance on this, or talk about that, or somebody wants, whatever it happens to be, autographs or that type of thing. She’ll kind of help organize that for me.”