Report: HBO nixed UNC 'Hard Knocks' due to demands by Bill Belichick's girlfriend

In the wake of a report by The Athletic that the docuseries "Hard Knocks" featuring North Carolina fell apart due to the involvement of coach Bill Belichick's girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, he denied that was the reason.

Making a recent appearance on Ryan Clark's "The Pivot" podcast, Belichick said the show "didn't fit" with the program's approach to the season.

"The ‘Hard Knocks' thing, just for the record, ‘Hard Knocks' is training camp," the 73-year-old Belichick told Clark. "We're not training camp. We're just not. That's not what we are. The drama of training camp and who's gonna get cut and all that.

"We're a season, and they don't want that. There's film issues, too, but forget about the film issues. Just say you can straighten all those out, the ‘Hard Knocks' just didn't fit for us. That's the bottom line."

Per The Athletic, Hudson, 24, was behind the docuseries stopping before it even began, stating she "played an instrumental role in stopping the production, related to her request to be heavily involved in the project."

The report went on to state that Hudson "demanded she be granted content approval and partial ownership of the show," adding that NFL Films decided to nix the series shortly after that request.

The Athletic obtained an email to North Carolina from one of the series' executive producers that read, "The conversation took a turn we were not comfortable with."

UNC apparently remains interested in being part of a series in the vein of "Hard Knocks" that uses the regular season as its focal point, Tar Heels general manager Michael Lombardi said in March on "The Pat McAfee Show."

As for Belichick and Hudson's relationship status, there are conflicting reports. Hudson has told at least one person -- per The Athletic -- that they are engaged.

However, Meadowlark Media reported on Tuesday that Belichick, who has said the pair met on a flight in 2021, told a friend in March that he and Hudson are not engaged.

--Field Level Media