Is Bill Belichick and UNC participating in Hard Knocks? All about the Tar Heels’ plans for the show

According to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, Bill Belichick and North Carolina won't take part in the offseason edition of HBO’s Hard Knocks after the deal fell through.

Front Office Sports reported last week that the Tar Heels will be featured in the longstanding NFL documentary.

“NFL Films had discussions with Coach Belichick and UNC about appearing on Hard Knocks this offseason but couldn’t reach an agreement,” a spokesperson for NFL Media said (via CBS).

There has been a lot of anticipation since the plan to have the Tar Heels on the show was announced, as fans were looking to have a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Bill Belichick's program. Jones reported that creative control was the key issue preventing an agreement on Hard Knocks.

North Carolina was chosen for the show’s second offseason edition after the New York Giants were featured in the inaugural season. However, with no NFL team opting to participate in the next installment, HBO shifted its focus to college football.

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Bill Belichick and North Carolina are still open to an all-access series

While North Carolina has rejected the opportunity of getting featured in Hard Knocks, the program remains open to participating in an all-access series with some media companies.

With the hiring of Bill Belichick, the program has been garnering a lot of attention lately.

“Sources told CBS Sports there is still a desire within the UNC football program to do some sort of all-access, behind-the-scenes series with some media group,” Jones wrote.

“But one source questioned why UNC wouldn’t want the prestige and reach of HBO and NFL Films, the latter of which has worked with Belichick for decades.”

North Carolina’s new general manager also noted on The Pat McAfee Show that the program received numerous offers from various groups interested in gaining insight into their operations. That's a testament to Bill Belichick’s influence on the program.

It looked like NFL Films and North Carolina were up to something regarding the Hard Knocks series. Jonathan Jones reported that there were signs on campus that the Tar Heels were getting featured in the docuseries.

“Sources at UNC had spotted NFL Films employees in the facility in recent weeks, and there was excitement across the football program and university about the exposure Belichick’s team would receive from the series.”

Since its debut in 2001, Hard Knocks has aired nearly two decades of seasons, produced by NFL Films and HBO.

During that time, more than half of the NFL teams have been featured on the show. It's worth noting that the New England Patriots never participated in the series under Bill Belichick.