An offseason version of "Hard Knocks" was supposed to cover Bill Belichick as he embarked on his first season as head coach of UNC. We now know why that project fell apart.
Shortly before NFL Films and HBO were set to announce the docuseries, Belichick's girlfriend Jordon Hudson demanded both content approval and partial ownership of the show, according to Katherine Rosman of The New York Times.
Rather than hand control of the long-running show to the 24-year-old Hudson, who has made no shortage of headlines this offseason at Belichick's side, NFL Films reportedly opted to pull the plug.
Producers reportedly learned after the fact that Hudson was in negotiations with another production company, EverWonder, to make a similar series. Per its website, EverWonder has been involved in a number of sports projects, most notably the production of Netflix's Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight.
It had previously been reported that Hudson played an instrumental role in killing the Tar Heel edition of "Hard Knocks," with one of the show's executive producers alluding to her demands to be heavily involved in the production of the series:
"The conversation took a turn we were not comfortable with."
Not even NFL head coaches or general managers are granted final cut of "Hard Knocks" seasons covering their teams, as the show is ultimately controlled by the league itself. Belichick's inclusion would have been new ground for the series, but Hudson apparently wanted control over what would have been a very loud message about how his foray into college football is going.
That desire for control has turned into an unavoidable narrative over the past few months, most notably when Hudson stepped in to nix a CBS interview question about how she and Belichick met. Questions about her involvement in the UNC program have become loud enough that the Tar Heels have felt the need to release a statement confirming she is not a school employee, but she is welcome at their facilities.
And given that the Times reported Hudson has told at least one person that she and Belichick are engaged, she may be in this for the long haul.
The other area the Times reported Hudson's involvement in Belichick's professional life is a number of trademark applications in his name. Literally.
Because the trademarks for the coach's well-known catchphrases, such as "No Days Off" and "Do Your Job," are all held by his old New England Patriots team, Hudson has reportedly attempted to pull a Taylor Swift and applied for trademarks reading “No Days Off (Bill’s Version),” and “Do Your Job (Bill’s Version).”
We'll see how that one works out.
