New York Giants co-owner John Mara is adamant that his team will never appear on the hit HBO docuseries “Hard Knocks.” And thanks in part to another major turnover, it’s a problem he won’t even have to worry about in 2022.
With general manager Dave Gettleman retiring and head coach Joe Judge getting the boot, the Giants have ushered in another reset. Joe Schoen will now serve as general manager, while Brian Daboll has been hired as head coach.
Based on NFL rules, that eliminates the Giants from “Hard Knocks” contention.
As a reminder, here is the league’s criteria for eligibility:
- No teams with a first-year head coach.
- No teams who were in the playoffs in the last two seasons.
- No teams which have been featured on “Hard Knocks” in the last 10 years.
The Giants, obviously, do not fit the basic criteria based on the hiring of Daboll. And although the NFL does have a “forced inclusion” clause it could use in the event no team volunteers, Big Blue is not among those the league can demand appear.
In fact, the only way the Giants could appear on “Hard Knocks” in 2022 is if no one else volunteers except for them. And let’s be honest, that’s not going to happen.
“That announcement (to appear on “Hard Knocks”) will come,” Mara told the New York Daily News in 2010, “when I’m next to my father in Gates of Heaven cemetery.”
At last check, John Mara’s heart is still very much beating. Accordingly, you can put to an end any notion that the Giants will be featured on HBO next season.
