The 49ers are one of five teams the NFL can force to participate in Hard Knocks. That doesn’t mean they want to appear on the HBO reality show that documents training camp.
“It’s a hard, hard, bad stance, ‘Hard Knocks,’” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said, via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. “You will see the worst entertainment possible by me.”
Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch object to some things shown on the all-access series, including the release of players.
“It’s not something we would be really excited about,” Lynch said. “I love the show, but I think some things are best left behind closed doors. I fundamentally have a problem with cutting players and things of that nature [on camera]. It’s not something we’d be thrilled about.”
The Lions, Raiders, Giants and Washington are the other teams that can’t refuse to do the show since they have not participated in Hard Knocks over the past 10 years, have not made the playoffs the past two years and do not have a new head coach.
