HBO's 'Hard Knocks' reportedly won't air this season

HBO's popular "Hard Knocks" series apparently has joined the Hall of Fame Game as a casualty of the NFL lockout.

The seventh season of the show has been canceled, according to Sports Illustrated.

"No 'Hard Knocks' this year. I repeat: No 'Hard Knocks,' " SI's Peter King reported Saturday on Twitter.

HBO spokesman Ray Stallone recently told the Sporting News: "We are monitoring (lockout) developments and remain hopeful of presenting a new season of 'Hard Knocks.' Beyond that we are not going to speculate."

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan garnered much attention last season with his profane candor on the show, but teams appeared reluctant to appear on it this season even before labor negotiations stalled. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions said no to HBO, while several others teams, including the Jets, Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos, said they would do the same if asked.

The show debuted in 2001 with the Baltimore Ravens and has been shown intermittently since.

The NFL announced Thursday that it had canceled the Aug. 7 Hall of Fame Game between the Bears and St. Louis Rams in Canton, Ohio.

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Falcons GM Dimitroff doesn't slam door on 'Hard Knocks'

Three other NFL teams aren't interested, but Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said Friday that he hasn't ruled out letting his team be featured on HBO's "Hard Knocks," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

"I truly believe that an organization has to be in the right spot to jump into something like 'Hard Knocks,'" Dimitroff said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "I think it sheds a lot of light on our league. This is a league of entertainment. There are some traditionalists that struggle with it, but they have to work against the grain a little bit and see that this is about entertainment. 'Hard Knocks' is a good show for the fan base."

The Falcons turned down an offer to be on the show, which gives viewers an all-access look at training camp, in 2009 because it seemed like it would be a distraction. This time around, Dimitroff believes the Falcons, who went 13-3 last season, would be more prepared to handle it, if asked.

"It's such an individual thing," he said. "'Hard Knocks' could be right for some of the teams that are fairly entrenched. It could be right for some team that wants to kick off some more brand recognition."

It wasn't right for the NFC South rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who earlier in the week declined an offer to be featured on the show. The Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions also have reportedly said they wouldn't do the show.

Critically acclaimed "Hard Knocks," which featured the boisterous New York Jets last year, won three Sports Emmys earlier this month, including its second consecutive in the "outstanding edited sports series/anthology" category. The three Emmys are the most for one season of "Hard Knocks."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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