ESPN’s Adam Schefter Suggests the NY Jets Will Restrict Access On HBO’s Hard Knocks After Getting Muscled By NFL Into Doing the Show

By Ahmad AustinJul 18th, 2023, 1:44 pm
 

HBO’s Hard Knocks could look very different this year.

That’s because the award-winning production — known for giving football fans unprecedented access to the inner workings of their favorite teams — will have much less access this time around.

On Tuesday’s episode of Get Up, ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed that the New York Jets are essentially being forced to do the show after acquiring star quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Schefter added that the team was strongly opposed to the idea.

“They met with NFL Films and told them, clear as day, ‘We don’t want to do this,'” Schefter said. “And while you’re all talking about the last time the Jets did it with Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum, they were along for the ride. This group is not along for the ride, and Hard Knocks will not be the same because they’re not gonna be given the same access. The Jets don’t believe it’s humane to show players being released. So it would surprise me if we see them this summer.

“This is a partnership. This is a relationship. And the Jets are not interested in being partners with NFL Films.”

Rodgers was the first to reveal the team’s displeasure with being selected for this season of Hard Knocks. A few days prior, he claimed the league “forced it down our throats,” but he also gave high praise for actor Liev Schreiber, the show’s narrator.

“One of the only things I like about Hard Knocks is the voice of God who narrates it, Liev,” he said. “I hope I get to meet him. But look, I understand the appeal of us. Obviously, there’s a lot of eyes on me, a lot of eyes on our team, a lot of expectations for our squad. So, they forced it down our throats and we gotta deal with it.”

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