I remember last season when teams were saying they did not want to participate in HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ because they think it’s a distraction. NY Giants co-owner Steve Tisch even told reporters that the team will never appear on the show. Well it looks like he no longer has a say. Owners passed a ‘Hard Knocks’ rule at an NFL Fall Meeting.
Details after the jump…
Via DS:
…thanks to a new rule passed by NFL owners today, the most interesting teams may no longer have the option to say no.
Despite the bloom being off the rose a bit, Hard Knocks isn’t going anywhere. The joint HBO/NFL Films production is fantastic advertising for the league, and even the uneventful seasons offer an unrivaled look behind the scenes. But the difficulties in finding teams willing to allow cameras into camp were apparently great enough that the NFL had to step in to ensure the show’s future. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the league can now force teams to appear if there are no volunteers.
Some teams are exempt. The NFL can’t force a franchise to go on the show if it
- Has made the playoffs two years in a row
- Has a new head coach
- Has appeared on Hard Knocks within the last 10 years
