It looked like Hard Knocks was headed in an unexpected direction this offseason, with North Carolina and Bill Belichick reportedly in discussions to be featured on the show. However, those talks ultimately fell through, leaving fans wondering why the Tar Heels decided against the opportunity.
According to UNC’s general manager, Michael Lombardi, the decision boiled down to "storytelling." Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, Lombardi shared that the program wanted to showcase the entire season—not just the buildup to Week 1.
For those unfamiliar with Hard Knocks: Offseason, the format would have focused on North Carolina's preparation leading up to its season opener against TCU. However, Lombardi explained that a short-term feature wouldn’t show the long-term vision for the program.
“It would’ve been great,” Lombardi said via On3. “But the problem was we control the story we need to tell here. And the story we want to tell doesn’t end after we play TCU. The story we want to tell is about how we’re rebuilding this program. How we’re going to honor the great players who have come before us, how we’re going to restore Tar Heel football and make this stadium come alive on Saturday afternoons like a lot of other schools in the ACC. That’s the story we want to tell.”
UNC ultimately decided to pass because, as Lombardi said: .
“It can’t stop at Labor Day,” Lombardi added. “That was more of the issue… The story we want to tell was about how we’re working to build this program, and that extends into September and October and November.”
There's already a ton of hype and craziness in Chapel Hill right now with Bill Belichick and the changes happening to the program, so honestly, it makes sense to pass on the cameras being all over the practice fields and in the locker rooms as a distraction.
In addition, Lombardi suggests that the "story doesn't stop on Labor Day." While he talks about it going through the fall, honestly, there's a bit of sentiment here that things aren't going to be fixed right away. Of course, they believe they'll have a better product for fans this coming fall, but it may take a season or two of experimentation before UNC turns the corner and becomes a legitimate competitor. And that story can't be told in just a few short offseason months.
Right now, it will be interesting to see what UNC looks like this fall and if Belichick is able to coach the team to compete in the ACC in his first season, or if takes more time than that.