Reported by Matt Baker, Andrew Marchand and Brendan Marks
On Feb. 28, multiple media outlets — including The Athletic — reported that North Carolina’s football program and coach Bill Belichick were expected to be featured this season on “Hard Knocks,” the episodic docuseries that airs on HBO. But the deal fell apart days later, shortly before a public announcement was to be made.
Jordon Hudson, Belichick’s girlfriend, played an instrumental role in stopping the production, related to her request to be heavily involved in the project, according to multiple industry sources briefed on the negotiations. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. In a December 2024 email to North Carolina officials, Hudson, 24, identified herself as the chief operating officer of Belichick Productions. (The Athletic has been unable to identify any company registered under that name either in Massachusetts, where Hudson’s other business entities are listed, or any other state.)
According to documents obtained Tuesday by The Athletic, NFL Films was scheduled to begin filming March 1 as part of a two-month stint on campus that would delve behind the scenes into the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach’s first UNC team.
Instead, on March 3, Jessica Boddy — the NFL’s vice president for commercial operations and business affairs — sent an email to North Carolina’s counsel confirming that showmakers “will not proceed with the production of the Belichick project.”
The only explanation offered as to why weeks of negotiations had suddenly fallen apart? “The conversation took a turn we were not comfortable with,” wrote Boddy, also one of the show’s executive producers.
Hudson has had an unofficial role at UNC since Belichick’s hiring in December, including being copied on some emails at Belichick’s request and other communications with UNC’s media staff, according to previous reporting. Hudson’s registered entities in Massachusetts include a “multi-platform media project,” Chapel Bill LLC. Most recently, her involvement in the promotional efforts for his upcoming book, “The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football,” has drawn national attention after Belichick’s interview with CBS aired on Sunday.
North Carolina’s athletic department deferred a request for comment to “Hard Knocks,” because it was the production company’s decision to step away from the project. The NFL, which oversees “Hard Knocks,” declined comment. Boddy did not respond to message requests, nor did Hudson.
Ultimately, the decision for NFL Films to back out of the agreed-upon deal between the league-owned production company and the school meant the end of a project Belichick himself had wanted, emails show. North Carolina lost out on $200,000 in facilities fees and untold more in exposure.
More than 200 pages of emails obtained by The Athletic through a public records request detail how the project was pitched and how close it came to completion. Hudson is not mentioned or included in the emails.
On Feb. 24, assistant director of football operations Bobby Teahan wrote in an email to school administrators, including athletic director Bubba Cunningham, that “this production is at the request of Coach Belichick.” That note came three days after North Carolina and the “Hard Knocks” team first connected, as NFL Films reportedly struggled to find a pro franchise to feature in the offseason version of its traditional preseason show.
Its pitch in pivoting to UNC was simple: a “behind-the-scenes audiovisual project about Bill Belichick’s transition from the National Football League to Division I college football and the process of building a team.”
Filming for a five-part docuseries would start within days, with at least two crews in or around the football facilities daily. Robotic cameras were to be stationed in the staff meeting rooms and the team auditorium, as well as the offices of Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi. The show also pitched shooting “Scenic B-Roll” of Belichick’s temporary residence, but that location was not included on the final version of the contract the parties agreed to during negotiations. In addition to the facilities fees UNC stood to earn, the Tar Heels were scheduled to receive up to $50,000 in reimbursed costs.
Representatives from HBO, NFL Films and UNC tried to sync up an announcement around the NFL Scouting Combine — even going so far as to circulate a drafted press release, complete with a quote from Belichick, now 73: I’ve been a fan of NFL Films for the entirety of my 51-year coaching career and have enjoyed every collaboration with them. I’ve been waiting for the right time to partner with the ‘Hard Knocks’ filmmaking team and that time has arrived. I’m excited to show off UNC’s tremendous leadership, passionate coaching staff, and roster full of young players, who I hope to teach how to be ‘pros’ on and off the field.
The promotional image was included in emails obtained by The Athletic through an open records request.
They shared other promotional materials, too, updating the color and logo on Belichick’s hoodie for a graphic of “Hard Knocks: Offseason with Bill Belichick & The Tar Heels,” coming this summer on HBO and its streaming service, Max.
The Tar Heels were “excited about the possibility of the show” as they worked through logistics and broadcasting rights, senior director of media relations Kevin Best wrote in a separate email. By Friday, Feb. 28, the school was ready for an announcement, either that day or on Monday. News of the impending deal trickled out.
There was only one hang-up: Belichick.
“DO NOT announce,” one of the show’s executive producers, Ken Rodgers, wrote that afternoon. “BB has not given approval.”
Robbi Pickeral Evans, the Tar Heels’ senior associate athletic director for external affairs and strategic communications, replied: “Any sense on your end if he is going to approve today? I also have calls into his office.”
“It’s my hope that it happens this afternoon, but we are still waiting for Coach to approve,” Rodgers wrote back. “He has not given the go ahead yet.”
The next day, UNC’s Office of University Counsel received authorization to start receiving contracts to sign. Carolyn Pratt, UNC’s director of university governance and associate university counsel, even sent a final message to the “Hard Knocks” crew before they started filming. “Thanks again for helping make this happen,” Pratt wrote.
But 48 hours later, something had shifted. The conversation had turned uncomfortable, leaving a deal that was at the finish line suddenly dead. All that was left by that point was a final clean-up. Boddy offered for NFL Films to reimburse North Carolina for any expenses the school had incurred, and reiterated that “we greatly appreciate your assistance throughout this process.”
Then Boddy’s one final correspondence over a deal that had stunningly fallen apart:
“We should proceed with wrapping this up.”
(Top image: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photo: Peyton Williams / Getty Images)
