North Carolina coach Bill Belichick, Hulu negotiating deal for series

There could be a Bill Belichick docuseries after all, according to a new report from Front Office Sports, which says that Hulu would air the project.

No deal has been finalized at this point, a person familiar with the negotiations told WRAL.

The potential series comes after a deal for the Tar Heels to be the first team to appear on NFL Films’ “Hard Knocks” series fell through this spring. Belichick’s girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, has drawn criticism for her role in the last-minute scuttling of the “Hard Knocks” deal.

Emails obtained by WRAL showed just how close the agreement was to being announced by the school before it was ultimately ended. Hudson reportedly wanted “content approval and partial ownership,” according to reports.

Interest in the 73-year-old Belichick, who won six Super Bowl titles as the head coach of the New England Patriots, and his first foray into college football has been intense since he was hired by North Carolina in December. 

His relationship with the 24-year-old Hudson, a beauty pageant contestant, has attracted national headlines for months and was the butt of several jokes from comedian Shane Gillis at this week’s ESPY Awards, which aired on ESPN.

Hulu is owned by Disney, which also owns ESPN. ESPN owns the rights to broadcast ACC football games. ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said the league’s media partners are eager to air UNC games this fall. 

The Tar Heels’ season opener against TCU will air on Labor Day night on ESPN.

“They ran to us before we could even run to them, our partners at Disney,” Phillips said in May.

ACC Kickoff, the league’s preseason media event, begins Tuesday. Belichick and several Tar Heel players are scheduled to speak to the media Thursday in Charlotte.

North Carolina sold out of its season-ticket allotment even with a 25% increase in ticket prices. UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts said the school is seeing similar results in sponsorships and marketing. He told WRAL in May that UNC is “delighted about all the attention being paid to Carolina football.”